


Project Huntsmen

by wapaksoccet13



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2020-10-28 07:10:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20774588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wapaksoccet13/pseuds/wapaksoccet13
Summary: Ruby Rose isn't like everyone else.  Everyone in her family has some type of superpower.  For fear of what may happen, her father has forced her and her sister, Yang Xiao Long, to keep those powers hidden from the world.  As she gets ready to start her first year at Beacon Academy, the school she's always wanted to attend, a force arises that threatens the balance of everything Ruby has ever known.Will the world be ready for RWBY?





	1. First Day of School

Going to Beacon Academy was a dream. Only the best of the best were granted access to its illustrious halls. Everyone who graduated from Beacon rose to prominence in their respective fields.

Attending Beacon with your older half-sister? Possible.

Getting accepted at the ripe age of fifteen? Unheard of.

Maybe that’s why Ruby Rose felt so out of place as her father, Tai, dropped her and her sister, Yang, off on their first day. Yang was the first one out of the car, followed by Tai. Ruby could hear their banter from inside the car, but she couldn’t move from her seat. Maybe it was due to the excitement of finally being able to attend Beacon, or maybe it was the fear of being rejected by the rest of her classmates. Ruby couldn’t figure out why, her chest starting to tighten.

“Rubes.” Ruby looked to her left to find her father looking at her with concern. “You ok?”

Ruby swallowed, giving Tai a small smile. “Yeah. Just nervous.”

Tai sat down beside her. “You know you can always come back to Signal. There’s no need to rush to get to Beacon.”

Ruby looked Tai in his blue eyes, searching for an answer to her worries. When she saw the love Tai had for his daughters looking back at her, all she could do was smile.

“I’ll be ok,” she finally answered.

Tai looked in his youngest’s eyes for a moment longer before nodding and stepping out of the car. Ruby exited the car, looking up at the castle that was Beacon Academy as she swung her bag over her shoulder. Her new school was easily three times the size of Signal, its tower the most prominent part Ruby could see. The courtyard felt more like a walkway through a park, trees and light-poles lining either side of the walkway. She walked over to Yang, who whistled at the size of the building.

“A lot bigger than what I was expecting,” Ruby heard her sister admit.

A familiar arm wrapped around Ruby’s shoulders, and Ruby turned her head to see Tai standing between his two daughters. “That it is.” The three of them were silent for a moment longer before Tai turned his daughters to face him. “Before I let both of you go, we need to have a talk.”

“What’s up, Pops?” Yang asked, a smirk on her face.

Tai rolled his eyes before he gave their shoulders a squeeze, implying how important his next words were to be taken. “You two are growing up, which means I can’t always be there for you. You need to be there for each other while you’re at Beacon.”

“Dad, you don’t have to worry-”

“Yang, I’m serious.” Tai’s eyes shifted from side to side for a moment before he leaned in closer. “Under no circumstances are you two allowed to use your powers. Got me?”

And there it was, the elephant in the room. You see, everyone in Ruby’s family had some type of power. Tai had this incredible strength, a strength that had been inherited by his eldest. Ruby had inherited some of that strength as well, but not nearly as much as Yang had. Instead, she had developed powers similar to her mother’s. Summer Rose had been the fastest person alive, but even that speed couldn’t save her in the end. After Summer’s death, Tai was determined to protect his family from the superhero life, even if it meant keeping their gifts a secret from both the human and superhero societies.

“I promise,” Ruby was quick to respond.

Yang scoffed at Ruby’s answer, but a stern look from her father had her hands in the air in surrender. “Alright, alright. I promise too.”

Tai sighed in relief, pulling his daughters into a hug. “Thank you. Now get going before you’re late for your classes.”

Both returned the hug before Yang rushed off towards the front of the school with Ruby right on her heels. Tai watched them with a smile on his face but a sense of dread resting in his stomach. A crow’s caw caught his attention, and he looked up to find one sitting on the light-pole above him. He kept his eyes on it until it flew off in the direction of the academy, confirming his fears.

Something was coming.

* * *

He watched the incoming students make their way towards the front doors of the academy through the varying cameras on his screen. Some he had already taken notes on; others were there for just the education. When two familiar faces appeared on his screen, however, he raised his hand and enlarged the particular feed they were on. As hoped, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long were among the new students arriving for their first day at Beacon Academy.

“Rose and Xiao Long have finally arrived. That means all of them have been accounted for.”

He turned to find a woman not much younger than he standing behind him, staring at the same feed. “They have. Go ahead and add their files to Project Huntsmen.”

The woman nodded, turning her attention to him. “I have to ask, but are you sure they’re up for the challenge? What makes them any different from the previous ones?”

He smiled at her before turning back towards the feed, angling the camera to focus on Ruby. “I have a feeling, especially about Ms. Rose. Only time will tell if I’m correct or not.”

“As you say, Professor Ozpin.”

Ozpin kept his eyes on the monitor, watching as Ruby spoke with her sister.

_ Only time will tell. _

* * *

_ Keep your posture straight. Head held high. You are in control. You are always in control. No emotions. You can’t let Father win. Keep it together. _

Weiss Schnee was everything that a perfect girl was supposed to be. She had the best clothes, the best education, and the best training. Even if it was thanks to her father, Weiss knew she was the best of the best, and now she was going to finally have her chance to prove it. Beacon Academy was the perfect spot for her to continue her education away from her father’s watchful eyes. She didn’t need his help, and she was going to prove it.

Today was the first day of classes, and Weiss was determined to make a good first impression. She was mentally counting the items in her hand bag, making sure she had all of her supplies, when an unexpected distraction walked right into her.

** _BAM!_ **

Or run into her as it turned out.

Weiss fell onto her side, the contents of her bag spilling out onto the ground. The growing headache from the fall only increased the anger building up inside her chest.

“Watch where you’re going!” she shouted at the young girl who had just plowed into her.

“Sorry!” came the squeaky answer.

Weiss shook her head. “Idiots. I’m going to school with idiots,” she muttered as she began to collect her things.

As she reached for her the last of her things, the person that had knocked her over was suddenly directly in front of her, the last of Weiss’s belongings sitting in her hands. Weiss looked up to see a young girl with silver eyes and red stripes running through her black hair staring back at her.

“Uh...these are yours…” said the other girl softly.

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the girl, aggressively taking back her items. “I’d say thank you if not for the fact you were the one who knocked them out of my bag in the first place.”

“I didn’t mean-”

“RUBY!”

Ruby turned to look behind her, and Weiss saw a taller blonde waving towards them, a clear look of disapproval on her face. Ruby turned back to help Weiss up, but she was already to her feet.

“I...I guess I’ll see you later?” Ruby said softly, taking a step back from Weiss.

Weiss scoffed. “As if. You better hope we don’t have any classes together.”

Ruby shrunk from Weiss’s words before rushing off towards the blonde. Weiss could see the blonde scolding her for the run-in. Weiss smiled at the sight and turned to leave when the blonde’s words reached her ears.

“You can’t be using your powers like that, Ruby.”

Weiss stopped in her tracks, turning to look towards the two girls. They were both walking towards the doors, mingling in with the rest of the incoming students and completely oblivious to Weiss’s shocked expression. She swallowed as she lost sight of the two in the crowd.

_ There couldn’t be more people with powers like me? _ She asked herself as she joined the crowd. _ Could there? _

* * *

She found it interesting to watch the Schnee heiress interact with other students, specifically the one who knocked her to the ground. It was amusing to see the heiress get knocked a peg down, even though it was physically, but what caught her attention was the girl who knocked into the heiress. She looked too young to be going to Beacon Academy, but the clumsiness and subsequent beratement from someone she assumed was the girl’s friend contradicted the thought that the girl was some genius who had gotten in early. Maybe she was wrong in her assumption, but there was just something about this girl that made her want to pay closer attention.

“Ready to go?”

She looked up to see her blonde companion smiling down at her. “Almost. Did you send the report?”

He nodded. “As short as it was, that girl’s presence here only confirms the rumors. Vale’s the main hub of metahumans, and Beacon’s a front to gather all the young ones together,” he said as he took a seat beside her. “Yet, we just have more questions now. More specifically is why there’s so many of them here.”

She turned her attention back to Beacon Academy, their new home for the next few months. “That’s what we’re here to figure out, Sun.”

Sun laughed, leaning over nudge her shoulder. “Always straight to the point, Blake.”

Blake nodded, standing up to swing her bag over her right shoulder. “We better get going. Don’t want to be late to our first class.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm beyond excited to see how this story unfolds. A lot of what I'd like to incorporate into future chapters are coming from the DC universe, so can you figure out which characters each member has influences from?
> 
> As always, let me know what you think of the work and make sure to follow me on tumblr for any updates at libs1317


	2. Surprise

Ruby sighed. Here she was, sitting underneath one of the trees in the courtyard with her lunch on her lap. Alone. Just like the past four days. She had guessed trying to make friends was going to be difficult, but she had hoped at least being with Yang would ease the growing pains of skipping two grades. Instead, Yang had left Ruby to wade through the waters of high school by herself, opting to be with the comfort of her own friend group.

Ruby stabbed her fork down into a piece of hamburger. “I can’t be seen hanging with my baby sister all day, Rubes,” she muttered under her breath, mimicking Yang’s voice. She sighed, taking a bite of the hamburger. “Like anyone wants to hang out with the ‘smart kid.’”

It hadn’t taken long after the first day of class for word to spread about Ruby. Not only did she skip two grades to get into Beacon early, but the headmaster, Professor Ozpin, had called her into his office shortly after the opening ceremonies ended. That visit only brightened the spotlight on her, and Ruby hated it. She just wanted to be a normal girl getting a normal education at a normal school; was that really so much to ask for?

“Ruby!”

Ruby looked up from her lunch to see Jaune Arc running towards her. Out of all of the new people she had met this week, Jaune had been the kindest. He knew a little about the new-school-year struggles Ruby was dealing with; after the opening ceremonies, he had earned the nickname of Vomit Boy after rushing out of the hall and puking into the nearest trash can.

“I don’t do well with heights or very large crowds,” Jaune had explained with a smile.

If anyone was going to hold the title of “First Friend at a New School,” Ruby was glad it had gone to Jaune.

“Hey Jaune. What’s up?”

Jaune sat next to her, holding up his own lunch bag. “Saw you were over here sitting by yourself. Figured you’d want some company.”

Ruby shrugged. “It’s not a big deal,” she muttered, looking back down at her lunch.

Jaune leaned forward so that he could look at Ruby’s face. “You ok, Ruby?”

“It’s just...hard, ya know?”

Jaune raised his brow. “What do you mean?”

Ruby sighed and looked towards the sky. “Being the new kid. Or being the youngest kid. The genius. The odd one out. Back at Signal, I had all my friends. Here, I have you and Yang, though Yang’s been ditching me recently to be with her friends.”

Jaune placed his hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “Ruby, it’s only the start of the school year. I’m sure you’ll make some friends.”

“I feel like I’ve made more enemies than friends.”

Ever since her run-in with the heiress, there had been a tension between Ruby and Weiss Schnee. Sure, Ruby would catch Weiss staring in her direction, but when she would look at the heiress, she would be met with a look of anger. Ruby knew it was an accident, but she could have sworn Weiss had taken it as a declaration of war by the looks she was giving Ruby. As if to make things worse, the resident school bully Cardin had made it his business to ruin Ruby’s day every chance he got. Yang was nowhere to be seen when Cardin was around, and he tormented Jaune along with Ruby whenever her friend would try standing up to him. It was like the universe was out to get her.

Jaune gave Ruby’s shoulder a playful shove. “Tell you what. How about after class you come with me to the arcade? You can meet some of the new friends I’ve made this week, and then they can be your friends as well.”

Ruby looked at Jaune. “Really?”

“Really.” He gave her a heart-warming smile. “They’re great. Ren’s quiet, but he’s a great listener. Nora’s...hyperactive to say the least. She’s your best bet if you want a challenge at video games. And Pyrrha’s...just Pyrrha.”

Ruby raised her brow. “You sound a little lovestruck there, Jaune.”

Jaune rubbed the back of his head. “More like a very big fan. She was the star of a couple shows I watched, so getting to actually attend school with her and become friends with her is really...just wow.”

A loud bell rang through the courtyard, signalling the end of the lunch period. Ruby sighed, looking down at her food. There were still four more periods left in the school day.

Jaune put his hand back on Ruby’s shoulder. “Offer’s still open. Think about it today before school ends; we’ll wait for you at the entrance of the school.”

“Thanks Jaune. I appreciate it.”   


Jaune nodded, and Ruby watched him stand and leave for his class. She sat alone for a minute longer before making her way to her afternoon classes. The only relief Ruby had was knowing that none of her afternoon classes had Weiss or Cardin as a classmate. It allowed for her to think over Jaune’s offer. Yang already had plans for after school, so whatever decision Ruby came to, she knew her sister wouldn’t be pushing for her to give a quick answer. As the final bell rang, Ruby had made up her mind, a smile on her face.

True to his word, Jaune and his friends were waiting at the entrance to the school. Jaune was talking to the red-haired beauty that was currently leaning against one of the nearby lockers. Her arms were holding her books close to her chest, watching intensely as Jaune described something to her. Nearby, an orange-hair girl was playing a handheld game as a taller boy with jet-black hair sat next to her, his attention in the book on his lap. When the sounds of a victory sounded from the handheld, the girl looked at the boy next to her and was met with a smile.

_ So these are Jaune’s friends,  _ Ruby thought to herself as she slowed her walk towards them.  _ Was Jaune really right? Will I really be able to become friends with them as well? _

“Ruby!”

Jaune’s call broke Ruby from her thoughts, and she looked up to see him waving her over with a smile. The red-head he had been talking to was smiling at her as well, and some of Ruby’s concerns melted away.

“Guys, this is Ruby Rose, the girl I was telling you all about,” Jaune explained to his friends as Ruby came closer.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ruby Rose. My name is Pyrrha Nikos,” the red-head introduced herself, moving her books to her left hand so that she could extend her right hand out to Ruby.

Ruby shook it, a smile on her face matching Pyrrha’s. “Nice to meet you, Pyrrha.”

“GOT IT!” the orange-haired girl shouted, causing Ruby to jump.

Jaune shook his head before looking at Ruby. “The one who just yelled is Nora.”

Nora looked up from her game to give Ruby a salute. “Nora Valkyrie. Don’t wear it out.”

“And I am Lie Ren, but you may call me Ren,” said the boy next to Nora as he closed his book.

Ruby looked to Nora and Ren. “It’s nice to meet you both. All of you really.”

“Are you ready to head to the arcade, Ruby?” Jaune asked as he opened the front door.

Ruby watched as Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren joined him at the door, all four of them looking at her hopefully. She looked down at her scroll to see her dad had responded to her message.

**Dad: Have fun! I’ll pick you up around six for dinner.**

Ruby smiled, looking up at her new friends. “Let’s go!”

* * *

Blake rubbed her temples as she stared at the photos in front of her. Some of them were classmates; some of them were relatives of those classmates. There were business owners, and there were people who looked beyond ordinary to the public. What they all had in common was one important fact: they were all metahumans. And it had fallen onto Blake’s shoulders to figure out why every single one of them were in danger.

It made the most sense for her to be on the mission. She was the youngest of the group, so being placed in Beacon Academy was the best cover they could use. Sending Sun just ensured that she would have some backup in case something got tricky. They were only there for reconnaissance, but with the amount of metahumans in the city, their superiors needed more information. Blake had a good start in rounding up information on those likely to be targeted, but there was next to nothing about those who were doing the targeting. Even the underground sources she had couldn’t find her names.

“Here, you need to eat.”

Blake looked up to see Sun setting a takeout box on her desk next to the photos. “Thanks.”

Sun shrugged, taking a seat in the corner of the room. “Any idea as to what our next move is?”

Blake shook her head as she took a bite of the takeout. Chinese, Sun’s favorite. “It’d be helpful to know which group of people are being targeted. We’ve got information on several metas, but without knowing specifically who needs to take priority leaves us at a large disadvantage when whoever it is makes their move.”

“It’d be a lot simpler if we could just go up to these people and explain that we’re here to protect them,” Sun added before taking a bite of his own food.

Blake shrugged. “Maybe, but maybe not. Some of these people probably aren’t even aware that they’re metas in the first place. Others probably don’t want to in the spotlight in the first place.” She held up a folder that was a bit thicker than the others. “For example, take Taiyang Xiao Long. Codename Dragon. His metagene allows him super strength, which is why he was considered one of the best martial artist members the League had. After his partner, White Flash, was killed during a mission, he left the life to look after his two daughters.”

Sun watched Blake set the folder back down. “Damn. I don’t blame him.”

Blake nodded. “Neither do I, but both of his daughters, Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, are attending Beacon Academy.”

Sun looked at Blake confused. “Wait. Ruby Rose? You mean that really quiet girl we have third period with?”

Blake nodded. “She’s also the one we saw at the beginning of the year run into the Schnee heiress.”

The look in Sun’s eyes turned serious. “The speedster.”

“Exactly. I wouldn’t doubt the fact that her sister may have inherited Dragon’s superstrength as well.” Blake looked down at the folder. “I highly doubt Dragon has told them about the life he used to lead, the life that took their mother away from them. I sure as hell don’t want to be the one to drudge up old wounds like that.”

“Well what are we supposed to do then?”

Blake looked up at Sun. “We sit back and wait.”

* * *

Ruby’s expectations of the arcade were blown far out of the water. It was the most fun she’d experienced in years, and her new friends never let her feel out of place. They were always inviting her to join their games, bringing a friendly competition in whatever they played. More times than not, Nora or Pyrrha would come out on top, and Jaune would be the first one to lose, but none of that mattered to them. They were having fun, and that’s the only thing the five of them were interested in. It was only after they had spent nearly three hours in the arcade did Pyrrha suggest they get dinner in the food court.

Ruby’s mood soured as she looked at her scroll. “Actually, my dad’s supposed to be picking me up soon. It was his turn to make dinner.”

Pyrrha rested a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “That’s quite alright, Ruby. Maybe another night?”

Nora was leaning against Ren, his arm gently wrapped around her shoulders. “Maybe next time you can invite us over!” she said excitedly.

Ruby looked at the four of them. “Really?”

Jaune nodded, looking at Nora. “I think that’s a great idea. We can take turns having everyone over for get togethers.”

Nora pumped her fist into the air, earning a chuckle from Ren. “How about we talk about this at school next week? I don’t think Ruby’s father would appreciate us holding her for much longer.”

Ruby bid goodbye to her new friends before rushing to the part of the mall where Tai was going to be picking her up. She still had a few minutes before her father was to pick her up, so Ruby took a seat at one of the nearby benches and opened her scroll up to her photo gallery. Among the recent pictures were some of the ones she had taken while the five of them had been at the arcade. Of all the hobbies her mother loved, Ruby was glad she had taken a liking to photography.

“Do you not know what the word no means? Seriously?”

_ That voice.  _ Ruby looked up to see Weiss arguing with a taller boy with dull-blue hair. He looked annoyed at Weiss’s outburst, his arms crossed over his chest.

“You never said no. And your father approves of us being together,” the boy argued back.

Ruby watched as Weiss rolled her eyes. “I could care less about what my father thinks about us. And if you didn’t get it before, then listen closely: I WILL NEVER GO OUT WITH YOU.”

Ruby could see the boy’s body stiffen at Weiss’s words, the roar of a nearby bus drowning out the rest of her hearing. What she wasn’t prepared for was to see the boy shove Weiss backwards, directly into the street and in the way of the incoming bus.

She remembered seeing Weiss’s look of panic. She could see the instant look of regret in the boy’s facial features as he took a step back. She could hear the sound of the horn as if the sound would make Weiss suddenly disappear from the bus’s path.

And in a sense, it did.

One moment Weiss was inches away from being hit by a bus. The next moment she was in an alley not far from the mall.

Looking down at her was the last person she thought she’d see: Ruby Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a forewarning, this work doesn't have a set upload schedule. I want to make sure I'm confident in the story I want to tell you before I bring it to the table.
> 
> As always, let me know what you think about the chapter and make sure to follow me on tumblr: wapaksoccet13


	3. You're not the only one

“R-Ruby?”

Weiss looked up at the silver-eyed girl who was panting above her. She couldn’t believe her eyes. One moment she was arguing with an insufferable Henry Marigold, pissed that her father would even dream that the boy was a perfect match for her. Then he was pushing into the street in front of a bus! Now she was looking up at her savior, an out-of-breath teenager who Weiss had done nothing but look at disgust leading up to this point.

Ruby continued to huff, a small smile on her face. “Hey Weiss. Sorry about that.”

Weiss could vaguely hear the sounds of sirens and people shouting from the direction of the mall. When her brain fully registered the sounds of someone running towards them, she pushed Ruby off of her, rising to her feet as she took a defensive stance. She wasn’t sure who was coming towards them, but for some reason, Weiss had the urge to protect Ruby just as the girl had done for her.

She was relieved but mildly concerned when Ruby’s older sister, Yang Xiao Long, turned down the alley and began running towards them.

“Ruby!” the blonde girl shouted, completely ignoring Weiss as she ran to her sister. “Are you alright?”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, I’m fi-”

** _SMACK._ **

“What was that for?!”

Weiss watched as Yang grabbed Ruby’s shoulders, forcing the younger girl to look her in the eyes. “That was reckless, even for you. You could’ve died! I know you’ve got this super speed, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to put yourself in danger like that!”

Weiss cleared her throat, and suddenly she had two sets of eyes on her. The silver set looked at her with worry. The red were full of anger, causing Weiss to take an unconscious step backwards. Yang rose to her feet and turned to face Weiss, the object of her wrath.

“You’re not going to say a damn word,” Yang warned, her hands clenched into fists.

“Yang…” Weiss heard Ruby whisper.

Yang didn’t take her eyes off of Weiss. “We can’t trust her, Ruby. She’s seen way too much now, especially of your powers.”

Weiss rolled her eyes at Yang’s threat. “I’m not going to be telling anyone about your powers.”

Yang narrowed her eyes. “And why should I believe you?”

“Because that would mean she’d had to reveal her own powers as well, isn’t that right?”

The three of them turned to the new voice, all of them looking up to the nearby fire escape to see two costumed individuals looking down at them. One of them wore a long black jacket with a combat belt wrapped around their waist. Their hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and their face was obscured by a black mask, the darkness allowing for their bright yellow eyes to shine through like that of a black cat. The other was more outspoken in terms of design for his costume. He wore a similar coat to his partner’s only it was white and left undone to showcase his impressive set of abs. His face was obscured by a yellow mask that matched his hair, a yellow tail flicking back and forth behind him like a monkey’s would. Something was familiar about both of them, but Weiss couldn’t place her finger on it.

“What are you talking about?” Yang asked, looking from the strangers to Weiss. “What are they talking about?”

The black-masked individual looked towards the sounds of the sirens before jumping to the ground below them. “Look, there’s no time to explain here. If you want to leave now, pretend none of this ever happened, then that’s what’s going to happen. But if you come with us, we can help you, and maybe you can help us in return.”

_ So it’s a girl behind that mask,  _ Weiss thought to herself, but Yang’s voice broke her from her thoughts.

“You’re asking a lot, especially for being strangers,” Yang answered hesitantly as she wrapped her arm around Ruby’s shoulders.

The masked stranger shrugged. “There’s a lot riding on your answer. You don’t have a lot of time to decide.”

Ruby looked up at her sister. “Yang...it’s going to sound really weird, but I think we need to go with them.”

Yang looked down at Ruby. “What are you talking about?”

Ruby looked at the masked strangers. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I think they’re telling the truth.”

Yang looked at her sister then at the strangers before looking at Weiss. “What’s your thoughts on all of this?”

Weiss huffed. “Oh now you want my word?”

“Not like I have much of a choice. And it sounds like we’re not the only ones hiding secrets.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes at Yang. “From the sounds of your implication, I’m not going to have much say in this either.”

Yang gave her a smirk. “Looks like it.”

Weiss sighed before the three of them turned to look at the strangers. “I guess you’re leading the way.”

Into what exactly, Weiss had no idea, but anything was better than going back to the mall and having to explain the incident to her father at the moment.

* * *

Ruby couldn’t believe her eyes. The underground base that they had been led to was amazing. She couldn’t count how many monitors were on the opposite wall, but they were of various sizes and covered majority of the wall. To their left, Ruby caught sight of a training room, varying dummies setup along with practice weapons. As she started to take a step towards the room, she felt Yang’s hand grip her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.  _ Right, mysterious people. Stay focus.  _ Ruby frowned at not being able to go exploring, but she knew Yang was right.

“So why were you in the area? I’m trying my hardest to stay with the assumption that you two are supposed to be the good guys, but if there wasn’t any ongoing trouble while you were there, then it’s really hard not to assume the worst,” Yang stated, her eyes never leaving the two strangers.

The guy with the yellow mask smiled. “We’re totally the good guys, I promise. We were just in the area making sure there wasn’t any trouble going on.”

Yang nodded once, but her attention was fully on the girl as she sat in the chair beside her partner. “I’m sure you’re not going to contradict his story.”

The girl lifted her chin slightly. “You would assume correctly. It was part of our daily route, and circumstances just happened to line up at the right time.” She grabbed a nearby tablet, starting too scroll through it. “And it looks like we got you three out just in time. Ms. Schnee’s ‘kidnapping’ is starting to become the popular topic on the local news networks.”

Weiss took a step forward. “What do you mean kidnapping?”

“Apparently the boy you were with, Mr. Merrigold, has been telling the police that you two were having a civil conversation when you were suddenly whisked away against your will.” A moment of silence passed as the girl scrolled further down on her tablet. “Right now, they’re thinking it has to do with your father’s enemies, but it’s all speculation at the moment.”

Ruby looked at Weiss as she huffed, but Ruby could see the concern written in the heiress’s eyes. The Schnees had often been in the news about varying attempts of attacks on their company, but she had never really thought about how it would affect the head family, especially Weiss. She wanted to reach out to the other girl, but something in the back of her mind told Ruby to leave Weiss alone for a moment. She wasn’t ready to talk about it, even if Ruby knew she’d be there to listen to her.

Yang took a step forward. “You know, that’s some excellent researching. Do you put that much effort into researching news like you do your book reports, Blake?”

The world seemed to stop on a dime. Ruby and Weiss looked at Yang in confusion. The boy straightened, a frightened look on his face. The girl just sat her tablet down on the desk beside her chair, her eyes on Yang. She rose from her seat, holding up a hand to stop her partner from making another move before walking closer to Yang. She stopped a couple feet in front of Yang, her eyes searching Yang’s, before she raised her hand to her mask. Ruby heard a click before the mask and the outfit disappeared, allowing for her hair to fall from its ponytail to reveal her classmate Blake Belladonna.

Ruby looked from Blake to Yang several times before the words finally managed to escape her mouth. “Uh...Yang...how did you know that was Blake?”

Yang smirked at Blake, crossing her arms over her chest. “Easy. Her body language was the same, and when Blake’s in deep thought, she bites her lower lip on the right side. I’ve seen her do it way too many times to not notice it.”

Blake raised a brow, giving Yang a matching smirk. “So you really have been watching me, huh? I wonder why.”

“T-That....we can talk about that later.”

Weiss moved so that she was right beside Yang. “If that’s Blake, then who’s that?” she asked, motioning towards the boy who stood next to Blake.

“Who else but her shadow, Mr. Sun Wukong.”

Sun smiled, reaching up to press a finger to the necklace around his neck, and his costume dematerialized like Blake’s had. “Didn’t peg you for a smart girl.”

Yang smiled at him. “I’m always full of surprises.”

Sun nodded before looking to Blake. “So now what. Our covers have been blown.”

Blake sighed, looking at the monitors behind them. “I’m not sure. They’re probably going to have to send in another team to finish the mission.”

It was Ruby’s turn to speak up. “Mission? What mission?”

Blake looked to her three classmates, her eyes focusing on Ruby. “It’s a very long story.”

Yang wrapped her arm around Ruby’s shoulders. “Well, we aren’t going anywhere.” She looked at Weiss. “Are we?”

Weiss shook her head. “I’m interested in hearing about this mission as well.”

Blake looked at Sun; he nodded at her silent question. She sighed, motioning for the three to follow her to the monitors. Once she had taken her seat at the main computer and the three had gathered around her chair, Blake pulled up an overall map of Vale.

“Ruby’s not the only one who had special powers. She’s what we call a metahuman. Everyone is different with their abilities, and they gain them through different ways, the most common being accidents or being born with them.” Ruby could see Yang’s hands curl into fists, but she remained silent as Blake continued. “Right now, Vale is the largest hub for known metahumans, and Beacon Academy educates many of the younger ones.”

“Is that why you’re here?” Weiss asked, watching as Blake pulled up pictures of differing groups of people.

Blake nodded. “There’s four large academies in each kingdom, all set up as Beacon Academy is. The only difference is the ratio of metahumans at each one; Beacon’s ratio is nearly triple the number of the other three. It concerns us because of the people I’ve pulled up pictures of.”

Ruby’s eyes shifted among the pictures, but the one that caught her attention was the man with a black hat and bright orange hair. Something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. With the mischievous glint in his eye, it only concerned her more.

“Over the past five years, these groups have been causing a lot of damage to the surrounding cities, edging closer and closer to the main cities such as Vale. Our mission was to find out why and to see if it had anything to do with the larger number of metahumans in the city,” Blake finished, leaning back in her seat.

“Well, why don’t we just help you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank you to all of you following the story! It's been a blast writing so far, and I can't wait for what the future's going to bring us.
> 
> As always, be sure to let me know what you think of it so far and make sure to follow me on tumblr for any updates @wapaksoccet13.


	4. Are You Ready?

Blake leaned forward, her eyes narrowing at Ruby. “Would you mind running that one by me again?”

Ruby shifted in her spot, her eyes going to her feet at Blake’s question. “My dad always taught us that if someone’s in trouble, that we should always try and help out however possible.”

“This isn’t some game, Ruby. This could end up being something very serious and very dangerous.”

She watched as Ruby’s hands clenched into fists. “And that’s all the more reason why we should help you. There’s strength in numbers, ya know.”

“She does make an excellent point,” Blake heard Sun say from her left.

“Sun.”

He held his hands up in surrender, a smile on his face. “I’m just saying.”

Blake turned her attention to Yang and Weiss. “Well, what do you two think?”

Yang sighed, wrapping her arm around Ruby’s shoulders. “I guess I’m in if Ruby is. I can’t let her go running around getting herself into trouble if I’m not there to at least have her back.” She looked down at Ruby’s hopeful eyes. “Family sticks together.”

“I guess that’d mean I’d be the odd one out if I wanted to back out,” Weiss added. Her posture said one thing, but Blake could see the crack of a smirk forming. “I guess I’m in as well.”

Blake sighed, leaning forward. “Fine, but you all have to follow my directions. Starting tomorrow after school, you’ll be training with Sun for two hours a day. On weekends, we’ll be training for four. If either of your parents ask, say it’s for a year-long project.” She turned to Sun. “Show them the way out. They need to know how to get here for training.”

Sun saluted her, and she watched as he led the three out of their base. She was quick to note Yang’s quick look back towards her as they left, but she had to file it away for now. Right now, she not only had to write up a new report for her superiors but also create a training schedule. Blake sighed at the thought; it was going to take weeks for those three to get to at least a decent fighting level, something that they didn’t have time for.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Weiss already had training, but she was too stiff. Too strict. If something didn’t go the way she planned for it, then she floundered like a fish trying to find water.

Yang was quick to pick up on techniques, but she was too hot-headed. She charged into fights, making things up as the fight went on. Unfortunately, as the fights went longer, she would run out of steam.

Ruby, by far, was the most difficult one. She lacked any sort of training, and it was clear she didn’t inherit the ability to adapt to fighting styles as quickly as her sister could. When she found something that she could do right, that’s all she would do. She didn’t want to learn anything else, which was becoming her biggest roadblock.

Blake sighed, looking over footage of their latest training session. She and Sun had been taking turns during their fighting sessions, but after three weeks of training, there had been little progress for either of the three. She was running out of ideas and quickly running out of steam.

To make matters worse, their superiors were growing weary with the reports she and Sun had been sending in. Blake knew that she couldn’t inform them that they had taken on the three newcomers as trainees, but the intel they had gathered was far less than before the training days had begun. It was getting to the point where they were either going to have to bring the three with them, increasing the risk of the recon with five people present, or risk solo recons. Neither were preferred, but Blake was running out of options.

She was so lost in her thoughts that when a steaming cup was placed on the desk next to her schematics, Blake practically jumped out of her chair. She looked up to find that Yang was the one who had brought the cup.

“Jumpy much?” Yang asked, a smile on her face. “Don’t worry; it’s just tea. Sun said you weren’t much of a coffee person.”

“Thanks.” Blake took a sip of it; lemon honey, her favorite. “I see you went through the kitchen’s cabinets for these.”

“To be fair, I couldn’t find the hot chocolate for Ruby. I’d rather her be on a sugar rush thanks to hot chocolate than a sugar rush thanks to coffee.”

Blake frowned. “That’s too much sugar for me, and Sun doesn’t like drinks like that. Interferes with his ‘sculpted body,’ as he puts it.”

Yang rolled her eyes. “Talk about talking bro to a whole new level, huh?” She looked at the schematics in front of Blake. “What are these for?”

Blake leaned back in her chair, turning her attention back to her desk. “There’s an upcoming underground meeting that’s gaining a lot of interest for metahumans. Supposedly, the group behind the meeting is making a push to introduce metahumans to the world. They’re advertising that it’s for the good of our existence and that our rights are being kept from us the longer we’re in the shadows.”

“But you don’t think that’s the case.”

Blake shook her head. “There’s no solid information about the group, not even a name. To be gaining as much steam as they are right now worries me, and my superiors want us to investigate it.”

“Well, what’s holding us back?”

Blake turned in her seat to face Yang. “You’re not going.”

Yang crossed her arms over her chest. “And why not?”

“You’re not ready.”

“You and Sun have been training us for the past month.”

“A month’s worth of training doesn’t match the years of training Sun and I have been through.”

“Blake, I’m not some helpless kid. I’ve got your training along with the years of training my dad has been putting me and my sister through.” She gave Blake her signature winning smile, her hands on her hips. “I’m more than capable of taking care of myself and watching your back.”

Blake searched Yang’s eyes, hesitant golden eyes meeting determined violet. After a moment passed between the two, she sighed, turning in her seat to gather the schematics. She placed them back in their file before walking towards a door to their left, motioning Yang to follow her. Blake placed her hand on a panel next to the door, watching as the light scanned her hand for verification.

“Scan complete. Welcome back, Black Cat,” the computerized voice announced, earning Blake a smirk from Yang.

“Black Cat? Really?”

Blake rolled her eyes as the door slid open, revealing a laboratory that left Yang momentarily speechless. She followed Blake in regardless, her eyes drawn to the far end of the room. Held in five clear cases were 5 different suits, each having its own particular silhouette. She recognized Blake’s and Sun’s but was surprised when she saw her own. The suit that covered it held her favorite colors, but just the sight of it screamed power. It was a sleek orange and brown suit with dark brown plates featured on her shoulders and chest.; its bright yellow gauntlets had small rotators around the wrists. Yang was sure the suit was strong enough to plow through a building, and that wasn’t even accounting for any of the hidden treasures it may hold.

Blake turned to Yang, a hand on her hip. “If you’re really wanting to go with me, then you’re going to need a disguise.” She gave Yang a smile as the other girl walked closer to the suits. “Lucky for you, a friend of mine was generous enough to create these suits in record time.”

Yang placed her hand on the case of her silhouette. “These...we each get one?” Blake nodded once. “When were you going to tell us?”

“When you were ready to go out on your first mission with Sun and I, though you kind of sped up that timeline when you argued that you were ready now.”

Yang turned to Blake, a mischievous grin on her face. “So if you’re Black Cat, then what’s Sun?”

“Solar Monkey.”

“Seriously?”

“He picked it out, just as you’re allowed to pick out your own codename.”

Yang turned back to her suit, her eyes focused on the empty emblem spot on the center plate, when a thought occurred to her. Not only did the suit scream power, but it felt familiar. It reminded her of her favorite hero from her father’s stories, the Dragon. He was everything that Yang had aspired to be, and what better way to show it than a little tribute?

She turned to Blake, a wide smile on her face. “You can call me the Yellow Dragon.”

* * *

Blake had been adamant on taking the lead for the recon mission, and Yang was more than happy letting her do so as they approached the warehouse district of Vale. One of Blake’s leads had left her a message indicating that this was where the underground meetings had been taking place for the past couple months. They wore civilian clothes with wigs to stay under the radar, and as they approached the designated warehouse, the hairs on the back of Yang’s neck started to stand. Something about this place was putting her on edge, but she couldn’t leave Blake to do this on her own.

The guard at the door looked at them with narrowed eyes. “Just you two?”

Blake was unwavering under his stare. “Yes. Jack sends his regards.”

The guard opened the door, a smile on his face. “Welcome, sisters.”

Yang could see Blake’s back straighten at the guard’s words, but now wasn’t the time to ask her why. She followed Blake inside, surprised to see the large crowd standing in front of a stage. There were several guards standing near the front of the stage, and it only took a moment for Yang to recognize most of them.

She grabbed Blake’s hand, gently pulling her to a stop. “Blake. I know them.”

Blake looked Yang in the eyes. “Are they dangerous?”

Yang looked back at the stage. “They’re hired hands. Not the brightest, but I don’t see their boss. Something about this isn’t right.”

At that moment, a man walked out onto the stage. He wore a white mask and what looked to be a uniform. Yang knew Blake recognized him as she felt the other girl tense beside her. Before Yang could ask her, the man began to speak to the crowd.

“Welcome, brothers and sisters new and old,” he began as he walked the stage. “Tonight, we edge one step closer to making our presence known. Tonight, we welcome a new friend to our family; someone who has gone above and beyond to help us realize our dreams of equality.”

Then Yang saw him. She recognized his bright orange hair and his smug smile from the pictures that Blake had shown them weeks ago. She took Blake’s hand in her own as he walked to the center of the stage, cane swinging in right hand.

“My name,” he began with a smile, “is Roman Torchwick.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for those of you who don't follow me on tumblr, I've got a small contest going.
> 
> Can you guess which DC characters Yang and Ruby are based off of?  
If you would like to participate, make sure you follow me on tumblr at wapaksoccet13.
> 
> As always, let me know what you think of the work and make sure you follow me on tumblr


	5. The Start of the Beginning

The crowd filled with hushed murmurs at Roman’s introduction. Blake could feel Yang’s tension, but her mind was already flying through different scenarios. They weren’t safe there, and if word got out that anyone had seen her at the meeting, Yang’s life would be in danger.

“We have to go,” she whispered to Yang as a screen behind Roman lit up, revealing some type of mecha suit.

Yang’s eyes remained on the screen. “Any ideas?”

Blake’s eyes darted back and forth across the room, finally landing on an electrical box at the top right of the room. “When I say go, you run. Got it?”

“Got it.”

With her right hand gripping Yang’s left, Blake pressed a button on her sleeve, allowing for a small knife to fall into her hand. With a practiced aim, she threw it at the electrical box, cutting through its metal container and causing an outage that threw the room into darkness. Screams filled the air around them as confusion quickly spread through the crowd.

“Go!” Blake pulled Yang’s hand in the direction of the nearest exit, pushing past the unsuspecting guard as they rushed outside.

She had them zigzagging through different lanes between the shipping crates before pulling Yang to a stop behind a stack on the edge of the docks. They listened for a moment, waiting to see if anyone had followed them, before taking a breath of relief. Tonight was supposed to be a simple recon mission, but it had been anything but simple.

“We have to get back to base. I have to file a report with my superiors,” Blake said in a curt tone.

She made a motion to move, but Yang’s grip never loosened. “Wait, Blake. I have a few questions.”

“They can wait until after my report.”

“No, Blake. They can’t wait. There’s more to this that you know, and you need to tell me.”

Blake looked back at Yang. “Yang, you don’t understand-”

“You’re right, Blake, I don’t understand. That’s why I need you to tell me why your face went white at the sight of the guy who introduced Torchwick.”

Blake stared into Yang’s eyes. All she could see was the stubbornness that Yang was known for, and the sounds of an incoming search party wasn’t making her choice any easier.

“Fine,” she said, looking towards the sounds before turning her attention back to Yang. “We have to leave right now so that I can go make a report to my superiors. Then I’ll tell you all the truth.”

“How do I know you’ll keep your word?”

Blake smiled, holding up her pinkie. “It’s childish, but I pinkie promise. That good enough for you?”

Yang gave her a smirk, wrapping her own pinkie around Blake’s. “Pinkie promise.”

* * *

Yang sat in a chair, her arms crossed over her chest and her right foot bouncing on a chair, as she waited for Blake’s meeting with her superiors and Sun to finish. She heard the elevator door open, the bickering between her sister and the Schnee heiress quiet as they walked closer to her.

“Yang? Is everything...ok?” she heard Ruby ask.

“Just fine.”

Weiss was the next to speak. “How long have they been in there?”

“Not sure.”

“You’re being helpful.”

“Weiss, stop it. It’s not good to bug Yang when she’s like this.”

“Well I don’t appreciate being called down here at this time of night just to take up my time.”

Yang shot to her feet and walked over to Weiss. The height difference forced Weiss to look up into Yang’s eyes, and all she could see was fury. It caused the heiress to take a step back and wonder what could have happened to have Yang this furious.

“Yang.”

Yang turned to the call of her name, finding Blake and Sun standing in the doorway of the room they were in. Sun’s expression was a mixture of frustration and sadness, but it was the lack of emotion in Blake’s face that worried her. Blake motioned the three of them to follow her into the room, not waiting to see if they would or not. Sun gave them a forced smile before following Blake.

Yang was the first to move, followed by Ruby and then Weiss. They found Blake and Sun standing behind a table that held dozens of folders and numerous photographs. Some of them Yang recognized as the people Blake and Sun were sent to track down; others featured different groups of people she had seen around Vale. What upset her the most, however, was the clear picture of her father among the pile closest to Blake and Sun. She could see a picture of herself and Ruby, one of Weiss, and there were a few of Ruby’s friends. By the way Weiss’s hand moved towards a picture of a family that bore a striking resemblance to her, Yang could only think that her family was being watched as well.

“I know this is a lot,’ Blake started to explain.

“A lot?!”

Yang turned towards Weiss, whose face was bright red with anger. “You’ve been spying on me! On my family! On all of our families!”

Sun took a step forward. “Weiss, we can explain-”

Weiss slammed her hands down on the table. “Explain WHAT, Sun? I don’t know what Yang and Ruby have to do with all of this, but my family has a lot of enemies. How do I know you’re not going to back-stab me?”

Yang placed her hand on Weiss’s shoulder, but her eyes never left Blake. “Start from the beginning.”

“Yang, are you-”

“ENOUGH. They can explain themselves, and then we can make a decision, Weiss.”

Silence filled the room, but Yang’s focus never wavered. Blake swallowed, her back straightening under Yang’s intense stare. She had always seen the blonde as this carefree individual, but to be the center of attention under her hardened stare was intimidating.

“Sun and I are members of the White Fang,” Blake began. “We’re two of the youngest current members, but I’ve been around since its inception. My father was the founder, but after the continued discrimination against metahumans, Sienna Khan was appointed as his successor. Due to our age, we were sent to Vale to monitor metahuman activities, and becoming students at Beacon Academy only solidified our covers.”

Yang heard the tension of Weiss’s voice as she spoke. “You act like the White Fang is all for the equality of metahumans. What about the terrorist attacks the White Fang’s taken credit for over the past two years?”

Yang could see pain sweep across Blake’s face briefly before it was quickly hidden. “The group who’s been responsible for those attacks has been an extremist faction. The leader of that faction is one of the most ruthless members of the White Fang, but Sienna chose to take advantage of a few of their attacks to further the push towards equality.”

Yang crossed her arms over her chest. “So you mean they’ve committed more attacks than just the ones that the White Fang have taken credit for?”

This time, Blake’s eyes looked down at the table in front of her. Sun placed his hand on her shoulder before turning to Yang. “They’ve committed at least twenty more attacks around the world that haven’t been acknowledged.”

“Twenty? But...but how can Sienna continue to let this happen? Why hasn’t she stopped them?” Ruby asked.

“She doesn’t care.” Blake looked up at Yang, her resolve hardened. “You asked me why I went white at the sight of the guy from the meeting. His name is James, and he was the lieutenant for extremist faction.”

“So that means that the faction is here, and they’re now working with Torchwick.”

Ruby looked at Yang. “Torchwick? Why does that name sound familiar?”

Weiss looked at Ruby. “He was the orange-haired man from the wall of pictures Blake and Sun showed us a couple weeks ago, right before we started training.”

“And now he’s here in Vale,” Ruby said, looking towards Blake.

Blake nodded. “Working with the extremist faction.”

Yang took a step forward, looking down at the pictures on the table in front of her. “Which means every metahuman in the city could be a target for whatever they have planned.”

And yet, in Yang’s eyes, the scariest thing about the entire revelation was that everyone in the room had a chance of not coming away from this alive.

* * *

The night breeze was the coldest on the roof, but Blake didn’t mind. It allowed for her to collect her thoughts and not feel as though she was about to implode from everything that had happened today, much less in the past three weeks. To finally tell Ruby, Weiss, and Yang everything about the White Fang was a burden she had carried since she agreed to help train them, and she felt slightly lighter now that it was off her chest. Unfortunately, they didn’t know everything, and sooner or later, she would have to tell them. She would rather be the one to tell them about him than for them to find out later. If only she had more time.

“You know, it’s pretty chilly up here.”

Blake straightened at her voice, turning to see Yang standing by the door to the roof. “What are you doing up here?”

Yang shrugged, making her way over to Blake. “Sun said you usually came up here to think, and I figured you’d want some company this time.”

Blake watched as Yang took a seat beside her before she turned her gaze back to the city’s skyline. “Are you mad?” she asked after a moment of silence passed between them.

“No, not really. More mad at Weiss’s outburst than anything.”

“Why?”

“She’s snotty in her responses, and sometimes I feel like she could be knocked down a peg or two.”

“No; why aren’t you mad at us?”

Yang shrugged, leaning back on her hands. “I figured I’d get an answer from you guys eventually.” She gave Blake a smug smirk. “Plus, you didn’t pinkie promise me.”

It was then that Blake burst out into laughter, earning a bright smile Yang. “Well, I’m happy that you aren’t mad at me. And thank you.”

Yang looked at her confused. “For what?”

“Giving us a chance. Giving me a moment to explain why.”

“Oh. It uh...it was nothing,” Yang answered, rubbing the back of her head.

Blake smiled before standing up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She could feel Yang’s eyes on her as she walked towards the door, her heart fluttering at the thought.  _ Maybe one day I can tell her _ , she thought as she walked down the stairs.

_ Maybe one day she won’t hate me. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. It's been a couple days since an update, hasn't it? Work life and social life kind of caught up.
> 
> Make sure to follow me on tumblr at wapaksoccet13 for any updates on the work and for any contests I may be putting out in the future!


	6. What's In A Name?

It was nerves.

It totally was nerves.

Nerves, nerves, nerves, nerves, nerves.

Here Ruby was. Sitting with her friends. Not waiting on something bad to happen nearby.

Nope.

Just an ordinary girl with her ordinary friends. No superpowers. No secret identity. No advance earpiece that looked like a wireless headphone in her ear. Just an ordinary girl.

** _“Ruby. I need you to relax.”_ **

Sun’s voice in her ear made Ruby jump slightly, earning confused looks from her nearby friends. She gave them a smile, though they didn’t look convinced that she was fine.

** _“Look, I know it’s really difficult for you to act like everything’s alright, but it will be. Blake and Yang are nearby, and Weiss is on-call if we need her. Everything’s going to be just fine.”_ **

Fine. That was they kept telling Ruby. That everything was going to be fine.

But it wasn’t.

Once Blake and Sun had explained everything about their mission, everything got more serious. Their training was a lot harder. They were going through tactics and emergency plans. At night, Ruby would look over dossiers of the different heads of organizations that were on constant surveillance by the White Fang while also trying to finish her homework. Truth be told, she was pulling quite a few overnighters just so that she would feel more prepared for any type of attack.

Yet here she was, nervously bouncing her foot on the floor as she watched her friends playing different arcade games. Blake had reiterated how important it was to keep a civilian identity, which meant that they were expected to go about their day as if nothing else was happening. For Ruby, that meant keeping up with the weekly meetup at the arcade. She was so lost in her thoughts that when Pyrrha took a seat beside her, she didn’t even notice.

“Ruby?” Pyrrha asked, concern written over her face when Ruby jumped at her voice. “Are you alright?”

Ruby tried to give her best reassuring smile to Pyrrha. “Yeah. Just peachy.”

“You don’t seem alright though. If I’m being honest, you seem like you’re on edge.”

Ruby bit her lip. She wanted nothing more than to pour her heart out to her friend, to take the weight off of her chest.

** _“Ruby.”_ **

Then there was the constant reminder in her ear in the form of Sun’s voice.

“I’m fine,” she finally told Pyrrha. “It’s just been a lot the last couple months. I didn’t realize getting into Beacon was going to be so challenging.”

Pyrrha’s concerned look softened. “If you need any help, you know you can always call or text one of us. We’d be more than happy to help you on the more advanced stuff.”

“I appreciate it, Pyrrha. I really do.”

Pyrrha placed her hand on Ruby’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “If you have anything else you need to get off your chest, you’ll let one of us know, right?”

There it was again. The temptation to spill everything. “I know. Thank you.”

Pyrrha took one last look at Ruby before nodding, heading back over to Jaune who was watching Nora and Ren battle it out on a dancing game.

** _“Ruby, I know how hard it is-”_ **

“Do you, Sun? Do you?” Ruby asked in a whisper, her eyes still on her friends.

** _“I do, Rubes. To this day, my best friend Neptune thinks that me traveling a lot is how I cope with my parents’ death. When I told him I was going to be going to Beacon, he was ecstatic that I was going back to finish my schooling. There have been so many times I’ve wanted to tell him the truth, to show him my powers, but I can’t. If I do, I risk putting him in danger, and I would never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to him or the rest of our friends.”_ **

“I’m sorry, Sun. I didn’t know.”

** _“It’s ok, Ruby. Not a lot of people know. Blake knows about Neptune and my friends back in Vaccuo, but you’re the first person I’ve told about my parents.”_ **

Ruby looked up at the tv, a news network displaying updates about different parts of the world. “How old were you?”

** _“Six. It was right after I figured out that my imaginary friends weren’t actually imaginary. I had inherited my mother’s metagene, and my parents were beyond excited for me if not worried about the world I was about to grow up in. About two months later, they were in a car accident. I lived with a relative until I was about sixteen. It was then that I met Blake, and she introduced me to the White Fang. I dropped out of school, joined the White Fang, and here I am, a real-life superhero. Or at least an almost-superhero.”_ **

“Do you wish you could ever go back to living a normal life?”

Ruby was sure she could see Sun’s smile as he answered.  ** _“Nope. I get to help others, metahumans or not. It’s what my parents would’ve wanted me to do, regardless of whether I was a superhero or not. If I had stayed back, lived a normal life, then there wouldn’t have been a purpose to my life. Here, with you guys, I’m able to do something with my powers, to do something with my life. I’d never trade that for anything.”_ **

Ruby smiled. She wasn’t sure if he had meant to or not, but talking with Sun had eased a lot of her nerves. “Thanks for the talk. I really-”

**Boom.**

And there it was. The life-shattering moment Ruby had been waiting for. The explosion sent Ruby flying out of her seat and into a nearby wall. Her head pounded as her vision swirled, her brain trying to focus the sights in front of her.

** _“Ruby?”_ **

Ruby could hear someone call for her, but she couldn’t tell who it was. Her head hurt way too much.

** _“Ruby? Can you hear me?”_ **

There was the voice again.

** _“Where is she, Sun?”_ **

** _“I’m trying to find her, Yang. She was in the arcade, but the explosion was nearby.”_ **

** _“We have to get the civilians out. Yang, Ruby can handle herself.”_ **

** _“I have to find my sister!”_ **

“Yang, I’m fine,” Ruby spoke up, pushing herself up into a sitting position. The arcade was a mess; the people around her were only now realizing the amount of danger they were in. “Listen to Blake. Get the civilians out.”

** _“Ruby.”_ **

“Yang. I’ll be fine. I’ve got to get my friends out of here.”

A silence filled her ear piece, and for a moment, Ruby thought that Yang was going to appear in the arcade in the next moment.

** _“You better come home for dinner.”_ **

Ruby smiled, looking around the arcade. She found her friends nearby; Pyrrha was checking over Jaune, and Nora had Ren leaning against her. None of them looked badly injured.

“Ruby!” Jaune shouted as she ran over to them. “Are you alright?”

Ruby nodded. “I’m fine. What about you guys?”

Nora looked at Ren, a worried expression on her face. “I think Ren’s hip took the worst of it, but the rest of us seem fine.”

Ruby went over to Ren, lifting his shirt slightly to find a large purple bruise already forming. “It doesn’t look too serious, but we need to get him medical attention.”

“Why would someone set off a bomb here?” she heard Jaune ask.

She looked over to him, seeing Pyrrha lifting him to his feet. “I don’t know, but I don’t want to be around to find out.”

Pyrrha nodded, looking out the front of the arcade. “The explosion was from nearby, but there’s a lot of scared people around us. We’re going to have to be very careful getting out of here or risk getting separated.”

“Agreed.” Ruby looked to Jaune. “Can you and Pyrrha carry Ren out?”

Jaune nodded. “Of course.”

As Jaune and Pyrrha took either side of Ren, Ruby looked to Nora. “There’s going to be a lot of scared people. Can you help lead them towards the exit while also leading the way out for Jaune and Pyrrha?”

Nora smiled at Ruby. “Knew my loud voice would come in handy one of these days.”

Ruby nodded, turning her attention to the front of the arcade. Jaune’s voice made her stop in her tracks.

“Where are you going? Aren’t you coming with us?” he asked.

Ruby turned to her friends, shaking her head. “I’m going to see if I can help get the rest of the people out.”

Her heart tugged at the worry in Pyrrha’s eyes. “Ruby, leave that to the officers and medics. That’s their job. We all have to get out of here together.”

“Guys, Ren needs medical attention. You three have to get him out of here. I need to help the others get out safely; I’ll be fine, I promise.”

Jaune’s face contorted slightly at the thought of leaving Ruby behind. “Ruby, you aren’t some superhero. You could get hurt.”

“I have to try.” Ruby took a step back, giving her friends a smile. “Get out of here safe. I’ll see you guys soon.”

Before they could continue to plead, Ruby was already rushing out of the arcade and towards the site of the explosion. Most of the people were already out of harm’s way, but she stopped when she needed to to help those stuck by the debris.

** _“Ruby, I just got sight of you on the video feeds. What are you doing running towards the site of the explosion?”_ **

“I need to know why, Sun. Someone has to stop them.”

** _“Ruby, you need to leave now. You haven’t trained long enough to fight them.”_ **

“And if I don’t at least try, then I’ll never forgive myself.”

A sigh sounded over her ear piece.  ** _“Take a left. From what I was able to see, it was at a nearby dust shop.”_ **

Ruby smiled, slowing her speed as she came up to the corner where Sun said she needed to take a left. As she peeked around the corner, her heart seemed to have stopped at the sight. A large group of masked individuals were pulling bags of dust out of the shop; at the head of the group was a man Ruby had seen plenty of pictures of.

Roman Torchwick smiled as his men pulled out the last of their bags. “Excellent, boys. Well done.”

Ruby swallowed as she watched the man looking through the bags of dust. “I’ve got eyes on Roman Torchwick. Can confirm that he and his gang are behind the explosion at the mall.”

** _“Great. Now get out of there.” _ ** She heard Yang’s voice say over her ear piece.

For once, Ruby was ready to follow Yang’s order. That is until one of Roman’s men dragged an older gentleman out of the dust shop. From the looks of his clothes, he was the owner of the shop, and his body was already cut up and bruised from the explosion. He looked up angrily at Roman as the later knelt in front of him.

“You won’t...get away with this,” she could hear the older man say.

Roman barked out a laugh. “Oh but I already have. Your shop was just the last one on my list. And, let’s be honest, who’s going to miss an old crow like you?”

Ruby’s back straightened, even as she heard three different voices over her ear piece. There was no way she could let the man be killed.  _ He’s done enough hurting,  _ she thought to herself as she pressed the button on her ear piece.

* * *

Roman smiled down at old man as he stood up. He raised his cane, pointing the bottom of it towards the man’s head. With the flick of his thumb, the cap at the bottom of his cane rose up, and a trigger appeared in the curve of the handle.

“Any last words?” The man just glared at him, earning a laugh from Roman. “Suit yourself.”

He squeezed the trigger, a sounding shot ringing through the air around them. Yet, Roman found himself confused. Where the old man had been not a second before was just an empty space as the bullet buried itself into the ground. Roman’s eyes widened, and his head whipped around. When his eyes landed on the old man, fury built inside his chest at the sight of who was with him.

Kneeling beside him was a girl dressed in an all black suit. A cowl covered the majority of her face, the top of it open to allow black and red hair to spill out. On her forehead was a set of red goggles, and in the center of her chest was the insignia of a rose. Roman’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the rose, a familiarity that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Your days of hurting people are over, Roman,” the girl spoke.

Roman laughed. “Is that so? And who are you supposed to be?”

“You can call me,” the girl answered, a smile on her face, “the Red Rush.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually my favorite chapter so far. Sun isn't my favorite character of RWBY, but it was fun to dig a little into his character development, even if it was my own interpretation.
> 
> As always, let me know what your thoughts are and make sure to follow me at wapksoccet13 on tumblr for any updates and contests that may be going on!


	7. Red Rush

There were too many people. There were too many cops. Yang was fraught with worry over Ruby.

Blake felt like her head was going to explode.

“She’s not answering her scroll, Blake. We have to find her.”

Blake turned to look at Yang. “We’ll find her. Right now, we need to find out what’s going on.”

“There was an explosion. What else do you need to know?”

Blake turned back to the corner she was crouched by, watching as the Vale Police Department surrounded the nearby shops. “We need to find out who’s behind the explosion and why.” She turned back to Yang. “And if the past few weeks have been any indication, your sister is too curious for her own good. There’s a very good chance if we find out where the explosion happened, we’ll find Ruby there trying to be a hero.”

_ “Officer Fraguess, we need you and Officer Cormac to head to Dust til Dawn immediately. We’ve got unidentified individuals fighting in the area, and command thinks that one of the parties is responsible for the explosion.” _

Blake and Yang turned to the officers, watching as the two ran towards the direction of the explosion. Once the coast was clear, they hurried off after the officers.

“Why do you always have to be right?” Blake heard Yang mutter behind her.

As they neared the shop, the sounds of fighting filled the air. Blake was quick to grab Yang’s arm, pulling them into a nearby shop so that they could see the fighting without being seen by the officers they had followed. And true to Blake’s assumption, Ruby was in the middle of the fighting. Blake could only thank the stars that Ruby had enough sense to change into her suit before taking on the bombers, even if she thought it was a reckless decision in the first place.

Blake pressed her index finger to her ear piece, her eyes never leaving Ruby. “Ruby, if you can hear me, I need you to roll your shoulders once.” She watched as the girl did as instructed, a sigh of relief filling Blake.

“She’s my sister, but I’m pretty sure she’s insane taking them all on at once,” Yang whispered next to Blake, her hands shaking. Whether it was from anxiety or frustration, Blake wasn’t sure which.

Blake scanned the crowd of enemies, her eyes landing on Torchwick as he took a step towards Ruby. “Well, Red, I think we can say it’s been an eventful afternoon. As much as I would love to stick around, I’m afraid this is where we part ways,” he said with a smile before looking to his men. “Get her.”

Blake could feel Yang start to make a move towards Ruby, but a quick hand on her shoulder stopped the blonde. When eyes filled with anger looked at her, Blake shook her head, turning her attention back to Ruby. She needed to know if Ruby could handle this on her own. She needed to know if all the training she and Sun had put in towards the three was worth it. Ruby needed to prove that she was ready.

And she was, but not in the way Blake had expected.

Ruby shifted to her right, dodging the first goon’s punch. Reaching behind her, she reached into her pack and pulled out a rectangular black and red piece of metal. Blake narrowed her eyes at the sight of the piece, gently biting into her lip as she heard the clicking of a button. A trigger emerged along with a stock, transforming the piece into a firearm. 

_ A high-powered sniper rifle to be exact,  _ Blake thought to herself.  _ She’s been in the armory without me knowing. Either she found it on her own, or Sun showed her. I don’t know if I should be impressed or disappointed. _

The first two goons were taken down quickly with two well-placed shots, surprising Blake. Watching as their comrades fell, three others took the chance to rush Ruby. Blake squeezed Yang’s arm to keep her held back, curious to see how Ruby would react. She watched as Ruby rotated the slide grip, the piece changing from a rifle to a scythe. With one swing, Ruby was able to knock one into another before firing a shot into the third. Blake watched as Ruby quickly dispatched the remaining men, noting moves that she was sure Ruby had learned from her training sessions with Sun.

“Wow. The way she’s fighting is just...wow,” she heard Yang say softly from behind her.

Blake nodded. “I’m impressed that she was able to use Crescent Rose as well as she has.”

“Wait what? What did you just call that thing?”

Blake turned to look at Yang. “That_ thing_ was named Crescent Rose. It was originally developed for one of the Leaguers, but he turned it down. He chose to remain with his original weapon, which is said to have been developed by a friend of his.” She turned her attention back to Ruby, who stood tall in front of Torchwick. “To see Ruby handling it is impressive, but it doesn’t mean I’m not going to have to talk to her about it once we get back to base.”

Roman looked at his men, sighing. “You truly were worth every cent.” Tossing his cigar to the ground and stomping it out with his cane, Roman turned his attention back to Ruby. “Well Red, it’s been real, but I have a ride to catch.”

An explosion sounded above them, the glass ceiling shattering as it opened way for a rope ladder to fall next to Roman. He grabbed the ladder, holding up a red crystal in his hand. Blake’s eyes widened as she recognized the crystal, pushing Yang down below window as a second erupted. The window shattered above them, glass falling around them as Blake tried to shield Yang as best she could.

“Blake, you have to get off! I have to get Ruby!” she could hear Yang plead from below her.

Blake shook her head. “You have to stay down, Yang. We can’t be running head first into something like this; it could get either one of us or Ruby seriously hurt.”

Her words hit home in Yang, her struggling ceasing at the thought of Ruby getting hurt. Blake slowly moved off of her before lifting her head to look out the broken window. The dust from the explosion was settling down, and a purple light caught Blake’s attention. She narrowed her eyes towards the source, the hairs on the back of her neck standing at the sight before her.

Standing in front of Ruby with a large purple shield in front of them was the Leaguer known as The Witch. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun, her purple cape settling behind her. Ruby sat on the ground behind her, eyes full of awe and surprise as she stared up at the woman. The Witch looked up at the escaping chopper, shifting her glasses as she watched Torchwick climb up the ladder that swung below it.

Blake swallowed, watching as the Witch turned her attention to Ruby. With the League now involved in the situation, the chances of getting any help from her superiors were drastically lower. There was only so much that she and Sun could do on their own, and Blake wasn’t about to start leaning on the other three just yet.

She raised a finger to her ear piece. “Ruby, Yang and I are going to head back to base. You need to get back as soon as possible WITHOUT being followed. Especially by the Witch.”

Blake turned to Yang. “Let’s go.”

“What about Ruby?”

“Yang, she’ll be fine. We have to leave now before the police find us hiding out near the scene of the crime. I really don’t want to have to knock a pair of them out.”

Blake could see the conflict in Yang’s eyes before she sighed. “Fine. Let’s get out of here while we still can.”

Blake nodded, taking the lead as they maneuvered their way out of the mall. It was easy for them to mix in with the concerned civilians, allowing for them to quickly make their way to Yang’s bike. On the ride back to base, Blake could feel the tension in Yang’s body as neither of them had heard from Ruby. Even as they reached their base, quelling Sun’s and Weiss’s answers and worries, there was still no contact from Ruby. Guilt stabbed through Blake’s chest as she watched Yang wrestle with her emotions.

_ Please be alright, Ruby. Please be alright. _

* * *

She looked down at the scanner, satisfied that no one was following them on their way out of Vale. Roman’s dust explosion had provided enough cover for them to leave, but his announcement of a Leaguer’s presence worried her. It was only after they were well away from the mall that she was sure they couldn’t track the chopper. Roman was sitting behind her, counting through his bags of stolen dust with a smile on his face. She was about to make a remark when her co-pilot spoke up.

“That was too close, Torchwick. I told you we needed to be subtle about this.”

Roman looked up at her co-pilot, narrowing his eyes at her. “And? We got out, didn’t we?”

Her co-pilot turned in her seat to face Roman, a scowl on her face. “You’re lucky we didn’t-”

“That’s enough, both of you. We got the dust, and we aren’t being followed. It’s a mission success, and don’t either of you forget about it.”

The argument ceased at her words; Roman went back to counting the crystals, while her co-pilot shifted in her seat. A moment passed before she spoke up again. “So what do we do now, Cinder?”

Cinder smiled, angling the chopper to land towards a hidden runway. “What a wonderful question, Aiery.” She focused on landing the chopper on the pad, watching as various White Fang members unloaded their new cargo before turning to her co-pilot. “Now we focus on Phase 2.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to Ruby Rose!
> 
> Was hoping I could get this chapter out tonight, and I'm glad to say everything came together where I could!
> 
> Special shout out goes to Fraguess, who was able to get the closest guess in our first contest. For this work, Ruby's superhero identity is going to have inspirations from Kid Flash, while Yang is going to have inspirations from Supergirl.
> 
> Stay tuned for any more contests by following me on tumblr at wapaksoccet13, and let me know what you think of the work so far!


	8. Huntsmen

Ruby looked around the room she was in. She sat in a surprisingly comfy chair with a large fireplace to her right and shelves of books surrounding her. She had never seen a library as large as this one unless you counted the public one back home or Beacon’s school library. Whoever owned the home had to be loaded, like Weiss’s-family-loaded. Ruby swallowed, looking at the tray of chocolate cookies that sat on the end table next to her chair. She was a bit hungry, and whoever was supposed to be meeting her here was taking an awful long time to get here. One cookie became two, then four. Someone clearing their throat stopped Ruby from placing her seventh cookie in her mouth.

She looked up from her cookies, her mouth dropping open at the sight of Professor Ozpin. She watched as he sat in the chair across from her, the woman who had saved her from Torchwick’s attack moving to stand behind her. It still blew her mind that the woman, a League member known as the Witch, had saved her of all people. What blew her mind even more was how stoic Professor Ozpin was, staring at her instead of the Witch right behind him. Maybe that’s why she had this feeling of anxiety deep in her stomach.

“Ms. Rose,” Ozpin said, causing Ruby’s back to straighten. “There’s no need to be concerned. There’s no need to wear your disguise; no one knows you’re here outside of the three of us.”

“How...how did you know it was me?”

Ozpin smiled, taking a sip of his drink. “I know quite a few things about you, but what I’m interested in finding out is where you obtained such a dangerous weapon such as that scythe of yours as well as where you learned to wield it.”

Thoughts of the others ran through Ruby’s mind, her fingers clenching the edge of her seat. “Uh...I uh...can’t talk about that.”

“And why not?” asked the Witch, her eyes narrowing at Ruby.”

Ruby swallowed, but she straightened her back. “I doubt you want to hear how I spent years creating it, but I’d be glad to tell you how many hours I’ve spent training with it by myself.”

The Witch narrowed her eyes at Ruby, but Ozpin only chuckled in response. He motioned to Ruby, a smile on his face. “Why don’t you take your disguise off, Ms. Rose? As I said before, you’re in no danger here, and I’d rather you be comfortable around the two of us.”

Ruby looked from Ozpin to the Witch. “I...if I do, then can she take hers off? It’s only fair, right?”

The Witch looked down at Ozpin only to be met with a nod. She huffed, flicking her wrist. Her appearance shimmered before revealing Professor Glynda Goodwitch, Ruby’s assistant principal. She rolled her eyes at Ruby’s wide-eyed expression, motioning for Ruby to do the same. Ruby nodded, reaching up and pressing a small button on the side of her cowl. Her suit faded away, replaced by her red and black sweatshirt, black skirt, and allowing for her black and red hair to fall to its natural state.

Ozpin smiled at her, setting his cup down. “See? Much better.”

Ruby looked between both of them. “Not...to be forward or anything, but...why am I here?”

Ozpin leaned back in his seat, interlocking his fingers together. “Not too many metahumans make their presence known, much less taking the opportunity to fight against some of the world’s most dangerous criminals.” He raised his brow, a small smirk on his face. “I’m quite interested to know why you chose to become a hero.”

A silence passed between the three. Ruby had always admired the Justice League and any metahumans who took a stand against evil, but she hadn’t really thought about why she wanted to do the same thing. She knew she wanted to fight the evil, and Blake’s mission was an excellent answer to give the professor. Yet, it didn’t feel like the right answer to Ruby.

“Why be given a power such as mine and not use it to help people? Every day, there’s a chance to help someone, whether it be something small or something that could change the world. If I just stood back and watched the world move forward, letting evil win out when I had a chance to do something to stop it, then what’s the point of having these powers, these gifts?”

Professor Ozpin remained silent for a moment longer before picking up his cup once more. “Very good answer, Ms. Rose.” He took a sip of his drink, looking down it as he continued. “Very few people give similar answers. Many see their powers as opportunities for fame and fortune; others use them for control.” His brown eyes lifted up to meet Ruby’s silver. “It’s why we are very careful with selecting certain individuals.”

“What do you mean?”

“How would you like to become a Huntsman?”

* * *

Yang was pacing the width of the room, a mixture of anger, anxiety, and regret battling across her face. Blake was flying through different video feeds, the tapping of her fingers on her keyboard sounding off of the wall. Sun was going through different files on the table, occasionally asking a question to Blake about one of the feeds before going back through his notes.

It left Weiss to her thoughts, and she felt useless. She couldn’t help Blake and Sun because her resources weren’t the ones that needed to be accessed. She didn’t know how to comfort Yang; she had never needed to worry about her own sister, Winter, and her younger brother, Whitley, was too much of a daddy’s boy to ever need anyone else’s attention. All she could do was sit and watch everything unfold, unable to contribute.

“Uh..hi everybody.”

A familiar high-pitched voice cut through the silence, and suddenly all eyes were on Ruby as she walked into the room. Yang was the first to Ruby, checking for any injuries before reprimanding her for the fight against Torchwick and his goons. Blake was the next to her, launching into her own lecture about the scythe that Ruby had used in her fight. Then there was Sun, standing behind the two, giving Ruby his best supporting smile. 

The building overwhelming look in Ruby’s face caused Weiss to move towards the group, putting a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder before turning to Blake and Yang. “How about you two give her some room to speak first? She’s obviously been through a lot in the past few hours, and having both of you interrogate her the minute she’s back isn’t helping you get an actual answer from her.”

Yang looked at Weiss, narrowing her eyes. “And how the hell do you know what’s best for Ruby? You were sitting there doing NOTHING to help look for Ruby.”

Sun looked at Yang shocked. “Wow dude. Talk about harsh.”

Yang moved to make another comment, but Blake’s hand on her shoulder stopped her. When she looked at Blake, the other girl shook her head. “They’re both right, Yang. There wasn’t anything that Weiss could do to help us, and bombarding Ruby with questions the moment she’s back isn’t getting us the answers that we need.”

Yang looked at Blake with confliction, before sighing and turning to Ruby. “Sorry, Rubes. I just...I was just so worried when you went missing.”

Ruby took a step forward, wrapping her arms around her sister. “It’s alright, Yang. I get it,” she said with a smile as Yang returned the hug.

Weiss smiled at the sight. “While this is a touching sight, we really do need to get back to business.” She looked at Ruby. “Specifically, where did you go after your fight with Torchwick? From how busy Blake’s been at her computer, she couldn’t find you on any of the feeds she was hacking in to.”

“I wasn’t hacking-”

“You were totally hacking, Blake.”

Blake puffed out her cheeks, narrowing her eyes at Weiss. Ruby chuckled before stepping back. “It’s a long story,” she began before looking to Blake and Sun. “But I think I found out a way to stop Torchwick.”

Sun tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s become huntsmen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so a couple notes.
> 
> First, I wanna thank you all for continuing to follow the story. You have no idea how much it means to me seeing such enthusiasm for each new chapter!
> 
> Second, I've seen a lot of questions about Weiss's meta abilities. It's actually an early feature in my next chapter (Chapter 9).
> 
> Lastly, all I would like to ask of you, my readers, is patience. When writing for this particular work, I'm several chapters ahead of what is being posted. The chapters are looking to be longer but with a lot more content in them. Characters, new and old, are being brought in. And I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's reactions.
> 
> Again, thank you for continuing to follow the story. Make sure you follow me on tumblr at wapaksoccet13 for any updates and contests I may be holding for the work.


	9. Make A Decision

Yang looked at Ruby, confused by her idea. “What do you mean become huntsmen? I’ve never even heard of those before.”

Ruby swallowed, her eyes at her feet as she shifted back and forth in her spot. “After Torchwick got away, the Witch took me back to this mansion. She said I needed to meet someone important.” She looked up at her friends with a sad smile. “Turns out, it was to talk to Professor Ozpin.”

“Ozpin?” Blake asked, eyes wide with concern. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“Well...he’s actually Ozma the Wizard.”

Yang couldn’t believe her ears. “Wait...are you saying that our headmaster at Beacon...is really the leader of the Justice League?!”

Ruby smiled a little. “Basically. He, uh, also wants to train us. Well not him exactly; he said he’d assign the Witch, who’s actually Professor Goodwitch, as our trainer, but we get formal training by the League. Just in secret along with a couple other people.”

Weiss shook her head. “Wait, there’s more people involved?”

Ruby nodded once, but it was Blake’s movement that caught Yang’s attention. She could see Blake’s mind running a thousand miles a minute, and her instinct forced her to move towards Blake. Fortunately, Weiss seemed to be on the same page.

“Atlas, Winter, Arma!”

Long white arms appeared from Weiss’s shadow, reaching out to grip Blake’s arms and hold her in place. Yang watched as the raven-haired girl fought against the hold to no effect. She took the moment to move closer to Ruby, standing protectively in front of her sister.

Blake turned her head towards Weiss, eyes narrowing at the white-haired girl. “Let me go, Weiss. I won’t ask a second time.”

Weiss took a step forward, her arms crossing over her chest. “Not until you calm down, Blake. You’re not the only one worried about what this offer means to all of us, and I do mean all of us.”

Blake kept her eyes narrowed at Weiss, but Yang watched as she slowly started to relax. Weiss kept her hold on Blake for a moment longer before releasing her and turning her attention to Ruby. “Mind filling us in on the details? Slowly, please.”

Ruby blinked at Weiss, wide-eyed with surprise. “Uh, yeah. Sure.” She walked around the group and towards Blake’s computers. Yang made a mental note as she watched Ruby bypass Blake’s security checks and into her database on the Leaguers.

Blake was by her side in an instant. “How did you-”

“Ninjas of Love. You carry it around with you during school; it’s your favorite book to read during lunch when you go outside,” Ruby said with a smile.

Yang stifled a laugh at how red Blake became. “We...are NEVER going to talk about this again.”

Soon enough, Ruby had thrown several pictures up onto the monitor. Yang could see Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch among them, but she was surprised to see her father and her Uncle Qrow among them as well. On her father’s picture, the word inactive was placed at the top in bright red lettering. As Yang continued to look at the pictures, two more caught her attention. The first one was of Summer, who had the inactive bar set atop her pictures as well, and the second one was of a woman Yang didn’t know. From the blatant similarities she shared with the woman, Yang could only assume that she was looking at the first picture of her mother, and atop of the picture read the one word that was Yang was growing to hate: inactive.

“They were all huntsmen before they were Leaguers. All of them were our age when they began training to be huntsmen. But there was a mission that even Ozpin was reluctant to talk about, and the last team was broken up. Some became full-time Leaguers; others left.” Ruby turned to Yang, a sadness in her eyes. “Can you believe...that our mom was The White Flash and Dad was the Dragon?”

Yang swallowed, looking back at the pictures of Summer Rose and her father. “How long have you known?”

“Only after-”

“No. Not you,” Yang interrupted, looking at Blake as her sadness turned into fury. “How long have you known about this?”

Blake stood straighter under Yang’s glare, and she could feel Sun’s worried stare on her back. “Since the first day of school. I saw Ruby use her speed to pick up Weiss’s dropped belongings and did a little research into it. When I found the Flash’s profile, it wasn’t hard to add things together when I saw who her partner had been.”

“And yet you knowingly allowed my sister to put herself in danger? Knowing that this kind of work is what got our mother killed?!”

“Yang, I’d think long and hard before you take another step forward. I will pin you to the ground and keep you there until you’ve calmed down,” Weiss warned, raising her hand slightly.

“GUYS!” With one shout, everyone’s attention was back to Ruby as she stood tall. “All of this arguing about who was in the right and who was in the wrong isn’t going to change the past. What we have to focus on is the present. We have to make a decision.”

Yang’s anger simmered at her sister’s words. “Ruby, you can’t be-”

“I am, Yang. I know you’re only trying to protect me, but this is just more than about me. None of us know what Torchwick is up to, and with the amount of robberies his gang have been committing the past few months, we can only assume the worst.” She looked back at the pictures of the Leaguers, her mother’s eyes staring back at her own. “If there’s any way that I can help them, then I’m going to.”

“She’s not going to be the only one.” Weiss walked over to Ruby, placing a hand on the other girl’s shoulder as she pulled up a picture of Winter. “My family’s done a lot of horrible things, so if this is a way, even if it’s small, that I can undo some of the evils my father has committed, then I will.”

Sun was the next one to stand with Ruby. “You can count me in too. It’s about time we took a stand against those creeps and find out what they’re really up to. Besides, having someone lead the training instead of me sounds like a great plan to me!”

The three of them turned to Blake and Yang. Blake could only stare at the three of them, the pictures of the Leaguers a glaring reminder behind their hopeful outlook. It made her want to believe them, but at the same time, she hesitated. The reminders glared back at her in the form of the word inactive; the price of failure screamed as Ruby gave her a small smile. There was so much to lose if Blake went along with this idea; were they ready to put everything on the line? Was she?

“You know, sometimes I wonder if you were supposed to be the older one or not, Rubes.” Blake turned her head to the right to look at Yang. She was smiling at the three, cracking her knuckles before turning her attention to Blake. “So? What do you say, Blake? Ready to do some good in the world?”

A moment passed before Blake’s worries melted, a smile of her own matching Yang’s. “I guess so.”

* * *

Aiery watched as Cinder spoke with Torchwick and one of his men from the White Fang faction. Torchwick was supposed to be leading the White Fang to an underground hideout for Phase 2, while Cinder led her team to infiltrate Beacon Academy. There was something hidden somewhere in the school that belonged to Cinder, and she was determined to find it. Aiery sighed, leaning back in her chair; waiting had never been her strong suit.

“She still talking to him?”

Aiery looked up to see Emerald and Mercury make their way over to her. “Yeah. He should be leaving here soon to meet up with the rest of the White Fang before they move to their new hideout.”

Mercury huffed. “Finally. This part of the job is always so boring.”

“That’s because you’re a little puppy who can’t stand still.”

Emerald chuckled at Aiery’s dig; Mercury could only narrow his eyes at her before the clicking of high heels sounded towards them. “Are you three done squabbling yet? We have work to do.” Cinder asked, her hand on her hip as she stood next to Aiery.

Emerald stood straighter at the sight of Cinder. “Yes ma’am.”

Cinder smiled. “Good.” She looked down at Aiery. “Let’s get going.”

Aiery nodded, standing up just in time for the chair she had been sitting in to break. She sighed when she heard Mercury chuckle behind her, throwing a kick behind her that landed in his gut.

“What was that for?!” he shouted as she followed Cinder to the chopper.

Aiery stopped, looking over her shoulder at him. “For making me mad.”

“It’s not my fault bad luck follows you like a puppy dog.”

Aiery turned to face him, a smile on her face. “No, but you’re lucky that I don’t sick it on you like an attack dog.”

“Enough, you two,” Cinder called from the chopper. “We have work to do.”

Aiery nodded once, climbing into the chopper and taking her seat beside Cinder. Cinder gave her a smile before powering the chopper up, allowing for Aiery to lean back and relax during the flight. No sooner had they taken off did Aiery fall asleep to the thumping of the blades above her, but not a single dream passed through her mind.

Then again, they never did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a chapter, am I right?!
> 
> For those of you who follow me on tumblr, a new contest has started! Make sure you follow me for another chance to appear in a future chapter.
> 
> As always, let me know what you think of the chapter and make sure to follow me on tumblr @wapaksoccet13 for any updates and author's notes.


	10. Saving the World

Beacon Academy was a beautiful institute of learning during the day, but there was something about the shadow it cast during the night that gave Ruby the chills. She and her friends entered the school, heading towards the elevator. Then tension around them only increased at the sight of Professor Goodwitch standing by the buttons, patiently waiting on the group to approach.

Ruby watched as their professor’s eyes moved across the group before looking at her. “Is this everyone?” she asked, her fingers drumming against her bicep; Ruby nodded once.

Goodwitch sighed softly before pushing herself off of the wall next to the elevator. She pressed the down button, earning herself four confused looks as the doors opened. As she entered, Ruby was the first to follow her. Next was Weiss and Yang before Sun and Blake brought up the rear. They watched as the door closed, the elevator starting its descent at the ding. A silence fell across the group, none of them knowing how to break the awkwardness of the situation they had found themselves in. It was a relief when they felt the elevator slow to a stop, a second ding signalling the doors to open to a sight none were prepared for.

Ruby was the first to step out. They were inside an enormous cave, the sounds of the waterfall on the opposite wall resounding throughout the space. To the left of the waterfall was a line of computers with monitors that rivaled the ones Blake and Sun’s base had. To the right of the waterfall was a glass roof to a lower level; Ruby rushed over to it to find a large training area that already had a group training inside. Before she could see who else had discovered the secret of Beacon, the sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention.

Ruby turned to find Professor Ozpin making his way down a set of stairs near the elevator. He smiled at the sight of the group, placing his cane in front of him. “Welcome everyone. I’m glad you all were able to join us tonight.”

“So Ruby was telling the truth,” Blake stated, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at Ozpin. “I didn’t think that the Wizard was going to be hiding in plain sight, running a school as a civilian cover.”

Ozpin chuckled, turning his attention to Blake. “The world is quite full of surprises, Ms. Belladonna. One such surprise is having two members of the White Fang here in my school under the guises of students.” Blake and Sun both stood straighter, their faces pale at the mention of the White Fang, but Ozpin held his hand up. “There is no need to worry; I won’t be forcing you to return empty-handed.”

“Then why are we here?” Weiss asked, looking around the cave.

Ozpin smiled at her. “An excellent question, Ms. Schnee. And the answer itself is very simple: I want you four to help me protect the world.”

Ruby looked nervously from Ozpin to her friends, watching as Yang put a hand on her hip. “What are you talking about? Saving the world from what?”

Ozpin pushed his glasses up on his nose, looking at their group with an expression that worried Ruby. “For years, the world has been battling the creatures of Grimm. Whether it was as a united front or as another obstacle during one of our countless wars with our neighboring countries, the Grimm has always been a constant evil,” he began, his voice growing heavy as he spoke. “And now, it’s becoming increasingly clear that a major turn is about to take place.”

“What kind of turn?” Weiss asked, the worry in her eyes mirrored in those around her.

Ozpin sighed. “The Grimm have a leader, and her name is Salem. Her goal is to destroy all life on the planet, no matter what the cost. For the past several years, the League has been thwarting her attempts at every turn, but it has become evident that this can’t continue. Not unless we look at different options.”

Blake narrowed her eyes. “You mean us.”

Ozpin nodded once. “Precisely. A select few of you have been chosen to become a group called Huntsmen, trained to become the new members of the League in hopes that we can end Salem’s rule once and for all.”

Ruby moved closer to her sister. “A select few? Were there more than just us chosen?”

“As a matter of fact,” Ozpin said with a smile, “there were.”

“Ruby?”

Ruby felt like a bucket of ice cold water had just been dumped on her at the sound of the voice behind her. She turned quickly to find Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren all standing behind their group. From their clothes and their exhausted expressions, Ruby could only assume that they were the ones that had been training. She took a step backwards as Pyrrha took a step forward.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, looking at the rest of the confused group around Ruby. “What are any of you doing here?”

Nora looked at Ren before looking at Ruby’s group. “Were...were you guys chosen as well?”

Yang put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder, gently giving it a squeeze as she looked at Nora. “Yeah.”

Pyrrha’s group looked amongst each other with concern before Pyrrha turned her attention to Ozpin. “So what does this mean?”

Ozpin moved so that he was standing between the two groups, a sad smile on his face. “It means your real mission starts today.”

* * *

“Are you sure that’s everything?”

_ “Positive.” _

“That’s a lot to go on, Blake. Are you sure you and Sun can handle this?”

_ “I’m not sure. The people I’m with, they’re inexperienced, but they’re the best we’ve got. I can’t risk requesting more help from Command until I know for sure who this Salem is and what kind of power she’s got.” _

“Well, I’ve always got your back, Blake. You only have to ask.”

_ “Thanks, Ilia. I have to go now. There’s so much I have to do, and it sounds like I’m going to have a long night ahead of me.” _

Ilia smiled as she watched Blake through the screen of her scroll. “Just make sure you get some rest, alright? You have this bad habit of worrying me when you do something crazy like this on very little sleep.”

_ “Since when do I-” _

“Blake, do I really need to bring up the canyon mission?”

_ “...point taken. I’ll be in touch soon with another update.” _

Ilia nodded. “Understood.”

She watched as Blake gave her one last smile before ending the call. She closed her scroll in her hand, staring at the yellow center before sliding it into her back pocket. She watched as a couple members of the White Fang walked by with the body of their former High Leader, Sienna Khan, laying on a stretcher. She was grateful for the quick end, but for it to come to this end at all pained her.

“Something wrong, Sister Ilia?”

Ilia looked up towards the throne to see Corsac and Fennec standing behind their new High Leader, Adam Taurus. He sat slouched, cleaning his red blade of Sienna’s blood. He raised his head at Ilia when Corsac’s question remained unanswered. “Is there something you want to tell me, Ilia?”

Ilia swallowed before she approached the throne. “Blake was sending in a report. She wouldn’t go into detail, but from the sounds of it, the Vale Branch is slacking.”

“I’m not surprised. I did leave James in charge so that I could come back and deal with this change in leadership after all.”

Fennec looked at his leader, a brow raised. “Then what will be our next step, High Leader?”

Adam stared at his blade, his Grimm mask reflecting back at him, before smiling as he rose from his throne. He turned to Corsac and Fennec, sliding his blade back into its sheath. “You two will be in charge of our Menagerie branch until my return.”

“And where will you be?” Ilia asked, though she already knew what his answer was from the smile on his face.

“Beacon Academy.”

* * *

The sounds of fading Grimm mixed with the crunching of soil under his boots as he walked down the path. He was so tired, but the mission was too important. He needed to get to the next town to send his warning, but the large amounts of Grimm nearby kept delaying him. He sighed, looking down at his scroll. There were only a couple more hours in the day; he groaned at the thought of being late.

Thankfully, there was a significant lack of Grimm in the final mile to the nearest town, and he was able to book himself a room for the night. It helped that the receptionist was a pretty young one, but he felt bad that her glass of water that broke the moment he signed for the room. He made a mental note to leave her a few more lien before he left in the morning, hoping that it would cover the cost of getting a new one.

His first message was a quick type and send. His second didn’t have the urgency as the first, but it was nonetheless important to send before midnight. He smiled as he watched the words ‘happy birthday kiddo’ appear on the screen, waiting for the sent message to appear before setting his scroll down on the table next to his bed.

When the response came back, he was already asleep, but the sender knew he would smile the moment he saw it.

_ “Thanks, Uncle Qrow.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's kept up with this story! I love seeing the excitement and feedback on each new chapter.
> 
> I just wanted to leave a couple notes for everyone reading:  
\- There is an ongoing contest to be featured in a future chapter, but you'll need to be following me on tumblr (@wapaksoccet13) to be considered this round!  
\- I recently picked up the official companion book that was published, so I'm going to be trying to incorporate more of that information into any future chapters  
\- Tags are being updated along with this chapter updated!  
\- I'm in the final stages of writing the ending for this story. Be prepared for a final chapter count within the next couple chapters.
> 
> As always, let me know what you think of the chapter, and make sure to follow me on tumblr for any updates!


	11. Reconnaissance

During the day, things were supposed to be normal. Attend their classes. Laugh with friends. Do everything after school like they were originally planned. Then, for an hour in the evening, they were to meet up with Professor Goodwitch and run through drills. Each night, they went home with a new tactic to study. It was familiar, but at the same time it felt new. With Blake’s training, they were already holding themselves in sparring matches, but Professor Goodwitch was much more critical of each mistake they made. When it came to their extra homework, she wanted them to know every detail by heart.

Ruby didn’t know which one she disliked more. Ozpin was adamant that all this training, along with what they had already done on their own, was for the greater good, but Ruby felt like it was for nothing. At least when they were helping Blake and Sun with the White Fang, it felt like they were trying to do some good in Vale. Now, it just felt like they weren’t making a difference at all.

“I just don’t understand how everyone can be so calm,” Blake grumbled, looking out the window she was sitting next to. The four of them had agreed to meet up in the library during their free period.

Ruby looked up from her seat on the floor, her notes scattered around her. “Still thinking about Torchwick?”

Blake pulled her knee closer to her chest. “Torchwick. The White Fang. We’ve been training with Goodwich for the past two weeks, but that’s it.”

Yang leaned back in her seat, closing the book she had been reading. “There’s not a lot we can do, Blake. Ozpin did say that he had Leaguers on the case, and I’m sure the police are involved as well.”

“But they don’t know the White Fang like I do!” Blake snapped, causing everyone to jump. She looked down at her legs. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.”

Weiss set her pen down, leaning back to see if anyone had been listening in, before turning her attention back to Blake. “Look, I know you want to do something, but it’s like you said. We’re not ready yet. With all this training Professor Goodwitch has put us through, that’s a fact.”

Yang looked at Weiss. “We knew that going into this, but at least when we were on our own, we were still able to do the recon missions with Blake and Sun.”

“You mean you were able to do the recon missions with Blake.”

“Same difference.”

“Yang, we’re not ready.”

“We may never be ready!” Blake yelled, slamming her hands down on the windowsill. A hush from the librarian had them all quiet for a moment longer before Blake spoke up again, using a whisper this time. “We may never be ready, but we have to do something.”

A hand shot up in the air, but when she suddenly had three pairs of eyes on her, Ruby found herself pulling her hand down slowly under the intense pressure. “Um well...why don’t we just go out and get some intel ourselves? It would give us a direction and possible a better understanding what’s going on without putting us into too much danger.”

A silence passed between the four of them at the proposition. Ruby could feel her ears growing red as the silence stretched on, already trying to figure out an alternative to her plan, when she saw Yang move to stand up.

She stretched her arms above her head before placing her hand on her hip as she cocked it to the side. “Why not? Might as well see how well these past few weeks of training have gone.” Yang looked over at Blake, winking at her. “Plus that was kind of cute.”

“Seriously?” Weiss asked, eyes narrowing in annoyance. “You’re flirting. Right now of all times?”

Yang shrugged. “I love it when she’s feisty.”

Weiss sighed, pushing her book to the side before pulling out a blank piece of paper. “We might as well start planning then.”

* * *

The clicking of Cinder’s heels were the only noises that sounded through the hall as they walked. Emerald and Mercury were in front with Aiery and Cinder right behind them. To avoid suspicion, the best time to recon Beacon Academy was during the day. Aiery reached up and tugged gently on the collar of her uniform.

Cinder chuckled. “Too tight?”

Aiery narrowed her eyes at Cinder. “You know I hate these damn uniforms. Always too stiff.”

Emerald looked over her shoulder towards the two. “All for the mission.”

Mercury laughed. “Gotta get used to the undercover shit.”

“Shut it, Mercury.”

“Enough you two.” Cinder snapped.

The ringing of her scroll caught Aiery’s attention long enough for someone to run straight into her. The person fell to the ground, but Aiery held her ground. She looked up from the call to find a smaller girl sitting on the ground. She looked up at Aiery with silver eyes, and for a moment, she almost felt familiar.

“I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going!” she said, looking around at the rest of Aiery’s group.

Emerald held her hand out to the girl. “It’s no problem. Just watch where you’re going next time.”

The girl nodded, allowing Emerald to pull her to her feet. She looked at the group, taking a step back. “So uh...are you all new here?”

Cinder took a step forward to stand between Mercury and Emerald. “We’re visiting from Haven actually.”

The girl’s eyes widened at the realization. “Ah! Well, welcome to Beacon Academy! Do you guys need any help around the school?”

Aiery moved to stand beside Cinder. “We’ve got it under control.”

The silver-eyed girl turned her attention to Aiery, and for a moment, she felt nothing but anger. She couldn’t pinpoint why, but there was something about this girl that fueled Aiery’s fury beyond any measure. When she felt Cinder’s hand take her own, her anger subsided yet she remained on edge.

“We best be on our way. We’ve got some dinner plans we don’t want to be late for,” Cinder said with a smile, leading her group away from the girl.

Once they were out of earshot, Cinder turned her attention to Aiery. “What was that all about?”

Aiery could only shrug. “Not sure. Something about her just...it felt like a switch.”

Mercury turned around, walking backwards with a smile on his face. “Good to note. If I ever want to piss Aiery off, I just need to find that silver-eyed girl.”

Aiery made a move to respond, but a poster on the wall to her left caught her attention. On it was the silver-eyed girl they had just run into, a bright smile on her face. The flyer itself was for some club, but Aiery was more interested in the name under the girl’s smile.

_ Ruby Rose. _

She could feel Cinder tug her hand, pulling her down another hall, but her attention remained focus on this Ruby Rose. The name; the eyes. Everything about this girl put Aiery on edge, and she was determined to find out why.

* * *

_ “Six transports in a month. SIX. I’m starting to believe that you’re not only wasting my resources, but also my time, General. To top it all off, you even have my eldest with you, and you STILL cannot protect my assets.” _

“We’re working on it right now, Jacques. The cargo that those transports were carrying are of high importance, and we will find them.”

_ “I should hope so, General. Because I would hate to imagine what the Council will do if you cannot keep your word.” _

Winter watched as the General leaned forward at his desk after ending the call with her father. With the Vytal Festival just around the corner, everyone was becoming more on edge. As his top tactician, Winter was more than ready to share the burden with her commander, but it was becoming more and more evident that he wasn’t ready to share his responsibilities with her.

“Sir-”

“Not today, Schnee. Please. Go take the rest of the evening off. There are matters I need to address, and that requires me to make a few calls.”

Winter looked at Ironwood for a moment longer before sighing. “As you say, sir.” She moved to leave but looked over her shoulder. “If you need anything, I’ll be ready.”

As she left, Winter couldn’t help but overhear the start of the general’s first call, and it left a sour taste in her mouth.

“Hello, Ozpin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay! The holidays are just around the corner, so both of my jobs are taking up a lot of my time. On top of that, I've got two significant days coming up that have been taking up a lot of my emotional energy.
> 
> You have until the next chapter update to still enter for a chance to appear in a future chapter. Make sure to follow me on tumblr @wapaksoccet13 to enter as well as to keep up with any updates I may be posting there.


	12. New Plans, New Faces, More Stress

“If we’re going to do this,” Blake began as she led them into the armory, “then I want us all prepared. Luckily, I’m always prepared.”

Situated similarly as the laboratory, the five cases before them each held a unique weapon. Yang recognized Crescent Rose, and it was easy to discern which of the other weapons went to who by their color scheme. She could feel Blake’s eyes on her as she reached for a set of small bracelets, looking over the small design.

“Those are called Ember Celica. They’re dual ranged shot gauntlets. They extend when activated, covering your hands and forearms as arm guards, and they both have a magazine that can hold up to twelve shells,” Blake explained, watching as Yang slid the bracelets onto her wrists. “They should be able to help you with your range.”

Yang looked at Blake with a smirk. “That so? Good to know you’ve been paying close attention to that.”

“T-that’s not what I meant!”

“Would you two mind focusing on the now, please? I’m sure all of this unnecessary back-and-forth can wait until after the mission,” Weiss interrupted the two, making her way to the rapier’s case. “I’m assuming that this is my weapon?”

“Yes.” Blake took a step forward. “This is a multi-action dust rapier called Myrtenaster.” She looked towards Weiss, watching her facial reactions. “It was originally designed to be used by your sister.”

Ruby tilted her head to the side. “Her sister?”

Weiss sighed, placing her hand against the glass case that held Myrtenaster. “You all saw my father’s pictures among those being watched by the White Fang, and there’s a good reason for it. My father is the head of the Schnee Dust Company, but he’s also also heads the criminal organization Gewalt.”

The room went silent at Weiss’s words, but it was Ruby who broke it first. “You’re father...is the Tyrant.”

Weiss nodded once. “The Atlesian military has been at odds with my father for years, but they’ve never been able to convict him with his crimes thanks to our family lawyers. My sister chose to side with the military instead of following him under his footsteps, becoming the Commander’s elite soldier known as the Specialist.”

Yang whistled at the revelation. “Wow. Everyone’s heard about your sister’s accomplishments, but that’s got to be rough.”

“It is,” Weiss answered, turning to her friends, “but she’s not the only one willing to take a stand. My father married into the name, but I won’t allow him to continue to drag it through the dirt.”

The three of them smiled at Weiss’s statement, Blake putting a hand on her hip. “Well, first thing’s first: We need to figure out what’s going on with Torchwick and this faction of the White Fang he’s working with.”

Ruby nodded. “Agreed. Time for the mission!”

“Awe. You’re going on a mission without me?” The four of them turned to find Sun standing in the doorway of the armory, a smile on his face. “Didn’t think you’d all be that rude.”

“We weren’t doing it on purpose,” Ruby said softly.

Blake put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder before looking to Sun. “I should have told you sooner, and I’m sorry.”

Sun shrugged. “No big deal, really, but you guys should’ve said something. Would’ve made grabbing Neptune a hell of a lot easier.”

Weiss narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Sun! Where are you!”

Sun looked over his shoulder with a smile. “Over here, dude.”

A tall blue-haired boy stomped over to Sun, clear irritation written over his face. “What the hell is going on?” When he spotted the four girls staring at him confused, the boy quickly shook himself of the irritation and put on his more charismatic smile he could. “And what are the names of all these beautiful women?”

Blake sighed, rubbing the side of her face. “It’s been a while, Neptune.”

“Blake! What’s up! Who are your friends?”

“My name’s Ruby!” Ruby said with a small wave

“Yang, Ruby’s older sister,” Yang was the next to answer, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Weiss Schnee.” Weiss answered last, her hand going to her hip. “And you are?”

Sun put his hand on the boy’s shoulders, a smile on his face. “This is my friend Neptune Vasilias. He’s part of the group of exchange students visiting for the Vytal Festival.”

Blake took a step forward. “What is he doing here, Sun? I thought you told me he was in the dark about all of this?”

Sun opened his mouth to answer, but a quick elbow from Neptune quickly ended the attempt. Neptune looked at Blake with a more lazy smile. “I’ve known about Sun’s abilities for years.” He looked at the rest of the group. “Though, details on everyone else’s came just a few minutes ago.”

Ruby turned her attention back to Sun. “But...you said he didn’t know.”

Sun sighed. “I didn’t want to have to bring him into all of this, but with everything between the White Fang and the Huntsmen stuff, I figured we could use the backup, no matter what form it came in. Besides,” he explained, slapping Neptune on the back, “this guy’s one of the best guandao users I know.”

Blake straightened at Sun’s choice of words, turning to search the nearby cases. “Sun! Seriously?! We can’t keep giving away her weapons like they’re toys!”

Weiss looked between Yang and Ruby before turning her attention back to Blake. “Wait, what are you talking about? Who’s she?”

_ “That would be me.” _

Ruby jumped at the words, turning around to see a large screen pull up the image of a girl with bright orange hair and a wide smile. “Uh...Blake...there’s a weird person on your screen.”

Blake groaned, rubbing the sides of her temple. “This evening just can’t be a normal evening.” She dropped her hands, looking up at the screen. “Hi Penny.”

_ “Evening, Blake! What were you saying about my inventions?” _

“That we can’t just give them away like their presents.”

_ “But they are presents! Presents that can cause mass destruction in the wrong hands, granted, but I trust you and Sun to make the right decisions when handing them away.”  _ Penny looked at the different faces looking up at her in confusion.  _ “And it seems you two have made several decisions on them. Are the suits being handed out as well?” _

“Wait!” Ruby jumped forward, hands slamming down on the keyboard. “You’re the one who designed the suits?”

Penny smiled at Ruby’s question.  _ “Actually, my father helped me with the fine details, but all of the initial designs were mine. When Blake sent me a message about needing to tweak the designs to fit you all, it was a no brainer! Just a few minor changes, and tada!” _

Weiss rubbed the bridge of her nose, turning to Blake. “Now I can see why you’re always so stressed about everything.”

Blake ran her hands through her hair. “Guys, come on. We have to focus.”

Ruby turned to Blake, a sheepish smile on her face. “Sorry.”

Blake nodded before moving to a table that had several blueprints laid out on it. “Let’s just go over the plan.”

Weiss moved over to Blake’s right, pointing to the map of Vale. “Ruby and I will be going to to the CCT tower. From what Yang had described of the last meeting you went to, Torchwick has some type of mecha in development. If anyone is going to have an idea as to what those capabilities are, it’ll be my family’s company.”

Yang moved to Blake’s left. “While they’re investigating the SDC, I have a friend who’s well connected with the underground. He’ll be able to tell me which one Torchwick has aligned himself with, even if it turns out to be with Gewalt.”

Sun stood in the spot across the table from Blake. “What about Neptune and I? We’re not just gonna stay back and let you four have all the fun.”

Blake sighed, turning to look at Yang. “Would you mind taking Neptune with you? Since Sun and I are already a part of the White Fang, it’ll be easier to infiltrate the meeting I was going to. We’ll draw less attention than if Neptune were to come with me.”

“Well, Ruby could always go with Yang, and Neptune could come with me instead,” Weiss suggested, a small flirty smile on her lips.

Ruby laughed at the suggestion, grabbing Weiss by her arm and pulling her towards the door. “Come on, Weiss. Best friends stick together!”

Their bickering filled the hallway as they left for the exit, a smile on everyone else’s faces as they laid out the final notes of their plans. As Sun and Neptune left to grab their gear, Blake felt Yang gently grip her shoulder.

“Are you sure you’re ok about this?” she asked when Blake turned her head to her.

“I’m sure, Yang; I was more worried about you and this friend of yours. Are you sure he’s going to be able to give you all the information you need?”

Yang chuckled. “He and I go way back, so I’m sure I’ll get some type of answer out of him.” She dropped her hand, trying her hardest to not let Blake see the anxious twitch in her hand. “Just...be careful out there. Call me if anything happens ok? I’ll come running as fast as I can.”

Blake smiled softly, reaching out to grasp Yang’s hand and give it a small squeeze. “Of course. You do the same, though, ok?”

Yang smiled back. “Guess I can make that promise then,” she said with a wink.

“Come on you two! We’ve got missions to accomplish!” They heard Sun call from the next room over.8

The two girls chuckled, walking out together with a promise on their shoulders. A promise to answer the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a rough 24 hours.
> 
> Here's a new update. Hope your week is better than mine.


	13. Answer The Call

If there was any lesson about being a superhero that Ruby was quickly learning, it was that the best laid out plans never went the way they were supposed to. They thought that they had covered their bases as best as possible, even with the additions of Sun and Neptune to their little group. It was supposed to be a recon mission; they were only supposed to get information on what kind of plan Torchwick was up to. It wasn’t supposed to turn into an all out fight with him in one of the mechas he had stolen from the Atlas military in the middle of downtown Vale.

The initial call came from Blake and Sun. Somehow, Torchwick had been able to discern the two from the rest of the crowd. The White Fang lieutenant, James, had sent his men to detain them, confirming that they were dealing with a rogue faction. When it became clear that Blake and Sun were going to escape, Torchwick had followed in one of the stolen mechas. A call for help was sent out as he chased them through downtown.

Yang and Neptune were the first to provide support as they had been the closest to the chase. Yang was surprised to see Neptune with his own weapon but figured those questions would be best answered after they dealt with Torchwick. She kept Bumblebee as steady as she could, watching as Neptune fired several shots at the mecha. When he and Sun leapt at the mecha, only to be smacked away into the nearby buildings, Yang quickly activated her suit as she pulled over into a nearby alley.

Weiss was the next to arrive, summoning her knight’s arms to throw the mecha into a nearby abandoned factory lot. As the mecha slowly began to stand, Ruby appeared with Crescent Rose extended in her hands. The others stood next to her as Torchwick began to make his way towards them.

“Anyone have a plan on how to take this down?” Yang asked, activating Ember Celica while taking an offensive stance.

Ruby looked the mecha over, its targeting system’s sensors scanning the nearby area. “Black Cat, Ice Queen: we need to take out those sensors.”

The two looked at each other with a nod of understanding. Weiss unsheathed Myrtenaster, while Blake pulled Gambol Shroud out of its scabbard before both charged towards the mecha. They were quick to take out the sensors while also landing a few hits. Ruby narrowed her eyes as she watched her friends attack, taking mental notes of the mecha’s capabilities. Her chest tightened at the sight of Weiss being knocked out of the fight, but she had to trust that Weiss would be alright.

Loading Crescent Rose, Ruby sprinted towards the mecha. “Black! With me!” she shouted as she sliced at the mecha’s legs.

The two took turns slicing at the mecha’s legs, dodging each of its attempts to strike at them. One of the attempts got too close for comfort, forcing them into the air for one last attack. Thankfully, they had weakened the mecha’s defenses down, allowing for their last joint attack to severe its left arm.

With the mecha distracted by Ruby and Blake, Yang took the opportunity to join the brawl. She jumped onto the back of the mecha, slamming her fist into its back. If she could get Torchwick out of the mecha, then the battle would be done before anyone could get hurt. Sensing her plan, Torchwick through the mecha into reverse, sending them backwards into the wall of the abandoned factory. Momentarily stunned by the impact, Yang’s grip on the mecha released, allowing for Torchwick to grab her and throw her to the side.

“Y-Yellow!” Blake shouted, catching herself before she could say Yang’s name.

As Yang started to rise to her feet, Ruby gripped Blake’s arm before she could make another move. “It’s alright. With every hit she takes, she throws it back twice as hard,” she explained with a smile as she looked to her sister. “That’s why Dad hated training with her.”

Torchwick attempted another punch at Yang, but she easily blocked it before slamming her fist, enhanced by a shot from Ember Celica, into the remaining arm and shattering it. Enraged, Torchwick kicked Yang away from him, sending her flying above Ruby and Blake.

“Black!” Ruby shouted, and Blake nodded once in understanding.

Turning Gambol Shroud into its firearm mode, she threw it to Yang, tugging on the band attached to its hilt the moment Yang caught it. Stretched taut, Blake was able to swing Yang towards Torchwick, only missing him as he jumped back. Thanks to Ruby’s quick thinking, a couple well-placed shots enhanced by Weiss’s shadow, Blake was able to swing Yang back around again and get the final hit on the mecha.

Torchwick was forced from the crumbling suit, groaning as he stood. He looked down at his suit, sighing at the amount of dirt that now covered his white jacket. “And I just got this cleaned,” he grumbled as he looked towards the four girls.

Yang’s anger got the best of her, and she sent a shot towards Torchwick before the others could stop her. It was stopped, however, when a sudden shield appeared in front of Torchwick. When the cloud of dust disappeared from the impact, the girls found a small girl standing in front of Torchwick with a smile. Enraged, Yang rushed towards them but was blown back from a sudden explosion. Ruby looked up to see an incoming chopper, its side doors open.

Blake rushed to Yang’s side as Weiss and Ruby took potshots at the chopper, unable to stop Torchwick and his new sidekick from escaping. When the chopper was out of view, Ruby turned her attention back to her sister, rushing to her side as Blake helped Yang to a sitting position.

Blake looked up at her with worry. “That last hit knocked her out cold. We have to get her back to Beacon.”

_ Of course plans never went the way they were supposed to. _

* * *

“That was reckless.”

She listened as Torchwick moved up to the co-pilot’s seat. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t planning on having four wannabe superheroes appear and interrupt our recruitment meeting.”

Aiery sighed, angling the chopper to Mountain Glenn. “She’s not going to be happy with the loss of a mecha.”

“It’s just one mecha. We’ll be fine.”

Aiery remained silent as they approached Mountain Glenn. Once she had dropped Torchwick and his new associate, Neo if she remembered correctly, she pressed the call button on her earpiece.

_ “Are they there?” _

“They are.”

_ “Any trouble?” _

“They lost a mecha. Is that going to affect the mission?”

_ “It shouldn’t, but we’ll have to leave that up to fate to decide.” _

“Why are we working with these incompetent idiots?”

_ “We need workers, but we can’t draw that much attention to ourselves, Aiery. We have to still remain under the radar, away from his watchful eyes.” _

“And you think he’s still looking for you?”

_ “I can guarantee he’s looking for me. He has the other half of my power after all.” _

Aiery’s chest tightened. She knew that Cinder was important, that their boss was interested in seeing her rise to great power, but Ozpin was keeping Cinder from reaching her full potential. And he was going to pay for it.

“You will get that power, Cinder. I swear it on my life.”

She heard the other woman chuckle.  _ “I know, my dear, but thank you for the reaffirmation. For now, return to Beacon. We are in the middle of a show, after all.” _

“Understood. I’ll meet you back at the dorms.”

Once Cinder was off the call, Aiery sighed. Reaching into her jacket, she pulled out a worn picture. She had kept it on her since she was a little girl, the last reminder of her mother. She only gave it a moment’s look before returning it back to its place in the hidden pocket of her jacket. She was resolute in her decision, grip tightening on the controls.  _ I won’t let her die like he let Mother die. I will protect my loved ones. _

* * *

Ozpin and Goodwitch were attributing it to exhaustion. None of them were used to using their powers for that long, especially during fights. Sure, there had been plenty of sparing, but it had been more hand-to-hand, not dodging shots and giant mecha arms that could cause death with only two hits. Yang was the strongest of them all, but even she could only take so many hits.

Ruby hadn’t left Yang’s side since they returned, but she was surprised to see Blake hadn’t either. Out of everyone, she figured Blake would be the one out doing some type of report for the White Fang or discussing the mecha with Ozpin, but here she was, looking over Yang with her. As if she was guarding her from something. Ruby moved to ask Blake why when she heard a familiar voice from beyond the room’s door.

“Where is she, Ozpin?!”

Ruby shot to her feet, startling Blake. “What is it, Ruby?” she heard her teammate ask. There was no answer from Ruby as she ran to the door.

There he was, standing in front of Ozpin as the rest of her friends watched in confusion. His face was red in anger, his hands balled up into fists as he waited for Ozpin’s answer. Next to him stood her Uncle Qrow, his bottle in his hand as he waited patiently for the answer as well.

The single word came to Ruby’s mouth before her mind could finish processing what was happening right in front of her. “Dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're now beginning to get in that final stretch.
> 
> How's everyone feel about the work so far? I am always looking forward to creative criticism!
> 
> As always, be sure to follow me on tumblr @wapaksoccet13 for any updates on the work and any contests that I may have going on.


	14. Rest and Relaxation

Tai’s head swung to the side at Ruby’s voice, his anger quickly replaced by relief. He ran to his youngest, pulling her into a tight hug. Ruby found herself wrapping her arms around his waist, holding onto him tightly. She hadn’t realized how much she had needed the comfort that only her father’s hug could provide, tears running down her cheeks.

Gently pulling himself out of Ruby’s arms, Tai knelt in front of her. “Where’s your sister?”

“Dad.”

Ruby and Tai turned to see Yang slowly sitting up, Blake helping her as best as she could. Tai moved away from Ruby, rushing over to his eldest’s side. “I’m so glad you’re ok. That both of you are ok,” she heard him tell Yang as he sat on the other side of her bed, pulling her gently into a hug.

Ruby took a step into the room. “How’d you know where to find us?”

Tai turned his head to look at Ruby. “When I saw the reports of a fight going on, something in the back of my mind screamed trouble.” He turned to Yang, running a hand through her hair. “It’s hard to miss this distinctive set of locks,” he said before turning his attention back to Ruby, “or the fact that someone with a lot of speed was using a scythe that’s very reminiscent to one used by a colleague of mine.”

Ruby swallowed. “So it is true. You are the Dragon.”

Tai nodded once. “I was. I’m retired and for good reason. You two could have gotten yourselves killed today!”

“But we didn’t,” Yang interrupted, her voice raspy. “We beat Torchwick and came out unscathed.”

Tai looked at Yang, motioning towards the bed that she was laying in. “You think this is coming out unscathed? You four were lucky to get out with your lives!”

“Dad, we’ve been training with Oz-”

“Don’t give me that spiel, Yang. I know what kind of training Oz puts his huntsmen through. Months of training does not mean years of experience.”

“He’s right, Firecracker,” Ruby heard her uncle speak up for the first time.

She turned to him, a frown on her face. “Did you know about all of this? Were you a part of this with Dad?”

Qrow nodded once, taking a swig of his drink. “I’m actually still in it,” he said with a smile. “Though, I’m pretty sure I’d be able to teach you a few things with that weapon of yours.”

Ruby’s eyes widened at the implication. “Wait! You’re the Nevermore!” She smacked her forehead and groaned at the realization. “Now I just feel dumb for not putting two-and-two together.”

Qrow chuckled before his smile faded into a frown. “Your father’s right. You and your friends could have gotten seriously injured. You should’ve-”

“Left it to the Leaguers?” Yang interrupted, her eyes narrowing. “Then where were they when we were fighting Torchwick? If I remember correctly, not a single one showed up during that fight.”

“I may be the head of the Justice League, but that does not mean that I have control over the decisions of the other members,” Ruby heard Ozpin say. She watched as he moved to stand next to Qrow. “Tai, Qrow, would you two mind following me to my office? There is much to discuss.”

Ruby turned in time to see her father leave Yang’s bed and make his way over to Ozpin. With a nod, the three of them walked to the awaiting elevator, Professor Goodwitch already inside it waiting patiently for them. When she turned back to Yang, she found her sister leaning against Blake, exhaustion catching up to her once more. Blake looked at her, and with a nod, Ruby closed the door softly. If Blake was nearby, she knew that Yang would get the rest she needed.

With no other distraction available, Ruby made her way over to Weiss. The heiress was sitting in front of the monitors, watching the various news networks discussing their battle with Torchwick. Most were hailing them as heroes, but there were a few who questioned if the violence was necessary. Ruby pulled up one of the spare chairs next to Weiss’s, sitting as silently as she could.

After a moment passed, she finally found her voice. “What do you think, Weiss? Did we do the right thing?”

Weiss was quiet for a moment before she sighed. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to say yes, but the other part is questioning how we got into this mess in the first place.”

“We wanted to help Blake and Sun.”

“Yet here we are, training to become future members of the Justice League. If we even manage to get that far.” Weiss turned to look at Ruby. “Your father was right, Ruby. We could have been killed out there today.”

“But we weren’t.”

“The possibility was still there. I’m not saying that we should quit all together, but we need to take better precautions in the future.”

“Well, if you two are done being so depressing, maybe we can help.”

Ruby and Weiss turned to find Jaune and his friends standing behind them with wide smiles. “What are you talking about?” Ruby asked, shifting in her seat to face them.

Jaune took a step forward. “The annual Winter Formal is this Friday. Why don’t we all just take the night off from being superheroes and be high schoolers like we should be?”

Pyrrha put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not like we wouldn’t be out from Professor Goodwitch’s and Professor Ozpin’s watchful gazes since they are our professors, but Jaune is right. We should have a night to ourselves after all of this.”

“We’re in.”

Ruby looked past Jaune to see Yang and Blake making their way of the room. Yang still looked exhausted but not as badly.

“Might as well count us in too,” Sun said as he and Neptune made their way over to the group.

Ruby looked amongst her friends, their encouraging smiles warming her heart. Even Weiss added in her own encouragement. It was almost enough to dissipate the fear that was locked away in Ruby’s heart. Almost.

“Well, I guess we have a party to get ready for.”

* * *

Vale. A city full of ignorant humans and faithless metahumans. The disgusting nature of it all made him sick.

_ A mistake I will rectify. _

“High Leader.”

Adam turned to find James, his right-hand man, kneeling before him. He was older than Adam, well versed in combat and experience, but that did not stop James from looking to Adam for all the answers. Adam knew the sway he had over those in the White Fang, and he revelled in the power to influence everyone.

_ Almost everyone.  _ “Rise, James.”

James rose to his feet, his hands positioned behind his back. “We are moving forward with Phase 2 at the moment. Roman is with our men preparing the train as we speak.”

Adam nodded, walking past James to his map of Vale. Various markers were placed around it, though his attention drifted towards the one that stood for Beacon Academy.  _ Where she was.  _ “What is the news on our friends? Have we any reason to doubt their intentions?”

“Not as far as any of our spies can suggest, High Leader.”

“What about the reports from Beacon?”

“Sister Belladonna and Brother Wukong have continuously sent in their reports, but lately, the lack of details has many of the leadership here worried.”

“Oh?” Adam asked as he turned to face James.

His lieutenant nodded. “Just the other night, we got word that they were part of a group that interrupted a recruitment event and managed to destroy one of the mechas under Roman’s control. Various news network coverage can confirm this.”

Adam rubbed his jaw, turning back to his map. “Interesting.”

“Your orders?”

Adam remained silent for a moment before turning back to James. “Let it be. We move as planned. Have the men prepared for the invasion of Vale.”

James watched as his leader walked towards the doorway of the room. “Will you be joining them?”

Adam chuckled, his hand coming to a rest on Wilt’s hilt as he turned to his lieutenant. “Of course, James. I personally will see to the executions of the traitors known as Blake Belladonna and Sun Wukong.”

With a nod of understanding, Adam left the room, his smile widening at the thought of invasion. Soon, the humans would know just how many metahumans suffered under their boots. The metahumans would find a cause to rally around. And he would have his revenge on her betrayal.

_ Soon, my love. Soon, you will die. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys! I'm in the midst of finishing up the final chapters and couldn't find the inspiration I was looking for until recently.
> 
> I also want to thank those who left the last couple comments with a bunch of helpful feedback; it's helped more than you know!
> 
> With that, I have one final announcement: The chapter count will be updated with this chapter! Project Huntsmen will end with 20 chapters, so that means we only have 6 chapters to go. Are you ready?
> 
> As always, make sure to follow me on tumblr @wapaksoccet13 for any updates!


End file.
